User interface with 3d environment for configuring stimulation therapy

ABSTRACT

The disclosure describes a method and system that allows a user to configure electrical stimulation therapy by defining a three-dimensional (3D) stimulation field. After a stimulation lead is implanted in a patient, a clinician manipulates the 3D stimulation field in a 3D environment to encompass desired anatomical regions of the patient. In this manner, the clinician determines which anatomical regions to stimulate, and the system generates the necessary stimulation parameters. In some cases, a lead icon representing the implanted lead is displayed to show the clinician where the lead is relative to the 3D anatomical regions of the patient.

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/107,894, filed Dec. 16, 2013, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/591,281, filed Oct. 31, 2006 and issued as U.S.Pat. No. 8,612,024, which claims the benefit of U.S. provisionalapplication No. 60/776,454, filed Feb. 24, 2006, and U.S. provisionalapplication No. 60/785,255, filed Mar. 23, 2006. The entire contents ofapplication Ser. Nos. 14/107,894, 11/591,281, 60/776,454, and 60/785,255are incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to medical devices and, more particularly, to userinterfaces for configuring electrical stimulation therapy.

BACKGROUND

Implantable electrical stimulators may be used to deliver electricalstimulation therapy to patients to treat a variety of symptoms orconditions such as chronic pain, tremor, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy,urinary or fecal incontinence, sexual dysfunction, obesity, orgastroparesis. In general, an implantable stimulator deliversneurostimulation therapy in the form of electrical pulses. Animplantable stimulator may deliver neurostimulation therapy via one ormore leads that include electrodes located proximate to target tissuesof the brain, the spinal cord, pelvic nerves, peripheral nerves, or thestomach of a patient. Hence, stimulation may be used in differenttherapeutic applications, such as deep brain stimulation (DBS), spinalcord stimulation (SCS), pelvic stimulation, gastric stimulation, orperipheral nerve stimulation. Stimulation also may be used for musclestimulation, e.g., functional electrical stimulation (FES) to promotemuscle movement or prevent atrophy.

In general, a clinician selects values for a number of programmableparameters in order to define the electrical stimulation therapy to bedelivered by the implantable stimulator to a patient. For example, theclinician ordinarily selects a combination of electrodes carried by oneor more implantable leads, and assigns polarities to the selectedelectrodes. In addition, the clinician selects an amplitude, which maybe a current or voltage amplitude, a pulse width and a pulse rate forstimulation pulses to be delivered to the patient. A group ofparameters, including electrode combination, electrode polarity,amplitude, pulse width and pulse rate, may be referred to as a programin the sense that they drive the neurostimulation therapy to bedelivered to the patient. In some applications, an implantablestimulator may deliver stimulation therapy according to multipleprograms either simultaneously or on a time-interleaved, overlapping ornon-overlapping, basis.

The process of selecting electrode combinations and other parameters canbe time consuming, and may require a great deal of trial and errorbefore a therapeutic program is discovered. The “best” program may be aprogram that best balances greater clinical efficacy and minimal sideeffects experienced by the patient. In addition, some programs mayconsume less power during therapy. The clinician typically needs to testa large number of possible electrode combinations within the electrodeset implanted in the patient, in order to identify an optimalcombination of electrodes and associated polarities. As mentionedpreviously, an electrode combination is a selected subset of one or moreelectrodes located on one or more implantable leads coupled to animplantable neurostimulator. As a portion of the overall parameterselection process, the process of selecting electrodes and thepolarities of the electrodes can be particularly time-consuming andtedious.

The clinician may test electrode combinations by manually specifyingcombinations based on intuition or some idiosyncratic methodology. Theclinician may then record notes on the efficacy and side effects of eachcombination after delivery of stimulation via that combination. In somecases, efficacy can be observed immediately within the clinic. Forexample, spinal cord stimulation may produce parasthesia and sideeffects that can be observed by the clinician based on patient feedback.In other cases, side effects and efficacy may not be apparent until aprogram has been applied for an extended period of time, as is sometimesthe case in deep brain stimulation. Upon receipt of patient feedbackand/or observation of symptoms by the clinician, the clinician is ableto compare and select from the tested programs.

In order to improve the efficacy of neurostimulation therapy, electricalstimulators have grown in capability and complexity. Modernneurostimulators tend to have larger numbers of electrode combinations,larger parameter ranges, and the ability to simultaneously delivermultiple therapy configurations by interleaving stimulation pulses intime. Although these factors increase the clinician's ability to adjusttherapy for a particular patient or disease state, the burden involvedin optimizing the device parameters has similarly increased.Unfortunately, fixed reimbursement schedules and scarce clinic timepresent challenges to effective programming of neurostimulator therapy.

Existing lead sets include axial leads carrying ring electrodes disposedat different axial positions, and so-called “paddle” leads carryingplanar arrays of electrodes. Selection of electrode combinations withinan axial lead, a paddle lead, or among two or more different leadspresents a challenge to the clinician. The emergence of more complexlead array geometries presents still further challenges. The design ofthe user interface used to program the implantable neurostimulator, inthe form of either a clinician programmer or patient programmer, has agreat impact on the ability to efficiently define and select efficaciousstimulation programs.

SUMMARY

The disclosure is directed to a method and system that allows a user toconfigure electrical stimulation therapy by defining a stimulation fieldin three-dimensions (3D) in a 3D environment. The stimulation field maybe delivered via one or more leads having a complex electrode arraygeometry. The techniques may be applied to a programming interfaceassociated with a clinician programmer, a patient programmer, or both.

After a stimulation lead is implanted in a patient, a clinicianmanipulates a 3D stimulation field presented in a 3D environment of adevice to encompass desired anatomical regions. In this manner, theclinician determines which anatomical regions to stimulate, and thesystem is able to automatically generate the necessary stimulationparameters to approximate the defined stimulation field within thepatient.

To manipulate a stimulation field delivered by a complex lead arraygeometry, a user interface may permit a user to view one or more leadsand stimulation fields produced by the leads from differentperspectives. In addition, the lead may be displayed with arepresentation of the anatomical structure in which the lead isimplanted. For example, the user interface may provide one or moreperspectives of a lead with a cross-sectional perspectives of theanatomical structure. In a DBS application, for example, theperspectives may include a sagittal view, a coronal view and an axialview of the lead implanted within the brain.

A complex electrode array geometry generally refers to an arrangement ofstimulation electrodes at multiple non-planar or non-coaxial positions,in contrast to simple electrode array geometries in which the electrodesshare a common plane or a common axis. An example of a simple electrodearray geometry is an array of ring electrodes distributed at differentaxial positions along the length of a lead. Another example of a simpleelectrode array geometry is a planar array of electrodes on a paddlelead.

An example of a complex electrode array geometry, in accordance withthis disclosure, is an array of electrodes positioned at different axialpositions along the length of a lead, as well as at different angularpositions about the periphery, e.g., circumference, of the lead. In someembodiments, the electrodes in the complex array geometry may appearsimilar to non-contiguous, arc-like segments of a conventional ringelectrode. A lead with a complex electrode array geometry may includemultiple “rings” of such electrode segments. Each ring is disposed at adifferent axial position. Each electrode segment within a given ring isdisposed at a different angular position. The lead may be cylindrical orhave a circular cross-section of varying diameter. Another example of acomplex electrode array geometry is an array of electrodes positioned onmultiple planes or faces of a lead. As an illustration, arrays ofelectrodes may be positioned on opposite planes of a paddle lead ormultiple faces of a lead having a polygonal cross-section.

An electrode combination is a selected subset of one or more electrodeslocated on one or more implantable leads coupled to an implantablestimulator. The electrode combination also refers to the polarities ofthe electrodes in the selected subset. The electrode combination,electrode polarities, amplitude, pulse width and pulse rate togetherdefine a program for delivery of electrical stimulation therapy by animplantable stimulator via an implantable lead or leads.

In some cases, a lead icon representing the implanted lead is displayedto show the clinician where the lead is relative to one or moreanatomical regions of the patient. Electrodes mounted at different axialand angular positions of an implanted lead may allow the clinician toprovide a more directional stimulation field to more effectivelystimulate a target nerve site, reduce side affects, or compensate forinaccurate lead placement.

The task of effectively configuring electrical stimulation therapyincreases substantially as geometries and capabilities of stimulationleads become more complex. In particular, leads with complex electrodearray geometries present the difficult task of orienting the position oflead electrodes to anatomical structures of the patient in a mannerintuitive to the clinician. Allowing the clinician to partially orcompletely disregard the electrode locations and focus on manipulatingthe stimulation field to stimulate the desired anatomical structures maydecrease time and confusion in configuring the electrical stimulationand increase therapy efficacy.

The disclosure describes multiple embodiments of a user interfacedesigned to allow the clinician to effectively program delivery ofstimulation from leads having complex electrode array geometries. Theuser interface may use a 3D environment to display the anatomical regionof the patient and the stimulation field which may allow a clinician tomore effectively visualize and efficiently program the stimulation fromcomplex lead geometries than would be possible using multipletwo-dimensional representations.

The techniques described herein may be used during a test or evaluationmode to select different electrode combinations in an effort to identifyefficacious electrode combinations. Additionally, the techniques may beused to select different electrode combinations associated withdifferent stimulation programs during an operational mode, eitherdirectly or by selection of programs including such electrodecombinations. For example, the techniques and associated user interfacesmay be implemented in a clinician programmer used by a clinician toprogram a stimulator, in a patient programmer used by a patient toprogram or control a stimulator, or in an external stimulator includingboth pulse generation and programming functionality.

In one embodiment, the disclosure provides a method that includesrepresenting a three-dimensional (3D) anatomical region of a patient ina 3D environment, representing a 3D stimulation field within the 3Danatomical region, and receiving stimulation field input from a userdefining the 3D stimulation field in the 3D environment. The method alsoincludes generating electrical stimulation parameters in a programmingdevice based upon the 3D stimulation field and a location of at leastone electrode within patient.

In another embodiment, the disclosure provides a system that includes auser interface that provides a three-dimensional (3D) environment and aprocessor that represents a 3D stimulation field within a 3D anatomicalregion of a patient within the 3D environment, receives stimulationfield input from a user via the user interface defining the 3Dstimulation field within the 3D environment, and generates electricalstimulation parameters based upon the 3D stimulation field and alocation of at least one electrode within patient.

In an additional embodiment, the disclosure provides a computer-readablemedium that includes instructions that cause a processor to represent athree-dimensional (3D) anatomical region of a patient in a 3Denvironment, represent a 3D stimulation field within the 3D anatomicalregion, receive stimulation field input from a user defining the 3Dstimulation field in the 3D environment, and generate electricalstimulation parameters in a programming device based upon the 3Dstimulation field and a location of at least one electrode withinpatient.

In various embodiments, the disclosure may provide one or moreadvantages. The system may automatically generate the electrodecombinations and stimulation parameters necessary to approximate thedefined stimulation field in the patient. Thus, a clinician may define astimulation field in three dimensions and adjust the stimulation fieldto reduce the time required to identify parameters for stimulationanatomical region of the patient relative to conventional trial anderror techniques. The clinician may also be able to more effectivelyavoid producing side effects with the stimulation. In some embodiments,the clinician may visually define a more directional stimulation fieldto target anatomical regions for stimulation and avoid the lengthy andtedious task of manually selecting stimulation parameters to try andfind the most effective parameters.

The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are set forth inthe accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features,objects, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thedescription and drawings, and from the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example stimulationsystem with a stimulation lead implanted in the brain of a patient.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are conceptual diagrams illustrating two differentimplantable stimulation leads.

FIGS. 3A-3D are cross-sections of example stimulation leads having oneor more electrodes around the circumference of the lead.

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of an example implantable medicaldevice that generates electrical stimulation pulses.

FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram of an example programmer.

FIG. 6 is an example screen shot of a lead icon placed on a coronal viewof brain tissue.

FIG. 7 is an example screen shot of a lead icon placed on a sagittalview of brain tissue.

FIG. 8 is an example screen shot of a lead icon placed on an axial viewof brain tissue.

FIG. 9 is an example screen shot of stimulation field selection on acoronal view of brain tissue.

FIG. 10 is an example screen shot of stimulation field adjustment on anaxial view of brain tissue.

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram illustrating an example technique forimplanting a stimulation lead in a brain of a patient.

FIG. 12 is a flow diagram illustrating an example technique forpositioning a lead icon over anatomical regions of a patient.

FIG. 13 is a flow diagram illustrating an example technique foradjusting the stimulation field for stimulation therapy.

FIGS. 14A-14F are conceptual diagrams illustrating different stimulationfields produced by combinations of electrodes from a complex electrodearray geometry.

FIGS. 15A-15D are conceptual diagrams illustrating possible stimulationtemplates for each electrode of a complex electrode array geometry.

FIG. 16 is a flow diagram illustrating an example technique for creatinga template set according to the electrode configuration selected by theuser.

FIGS. 17A and 17B are conceptual diagrams illustrating a template setthat does not target any tissue outside of a defined stimulation area.

FIGS. 18A and 18B are conceptual diagrams illustrating a template setthat targets all tissue within a defined stimulation area.

FIG. 19 is an example screen shot of an outline of a stimulation fieldplaced on a coronal view of brain tissue.

FIG. 20 is an example screen shot of an outline of a stimulation fieldplaced on a sagittal view of brain tissue.

FIG. 21 is an example screen shot of an outline of a stimulation fieldplaced on an axial view of brain tissue.

FIG. 22 is a flow diagram illustrating an example technique for defininga stimulation field over an anatomical region without reference to animplanted lead.

FIG. 23 is an example screen shot of an outline of a stimulation fieldplaced around a lead icon on a coronal view of brain tissue.

FIG. 24 is an example screen shot of an outline of a stimulation fieldplaced around a lead icon on a sagittal view of brain tissue.

FIG. 25 is an example screen shot of an outline of a stimulation fieldplaced around a lead icon on an axial view of brain tissue.

FIG. 26 is an example screen shot of an outline of a stimulation fieldplaced away from a lead icon on a sagittal view of brain tissue.

FIG. 27 is an example screen shot of a warning message regarding thebest template set available for a stimulation field on a sagittal viewof brain tissue.

FIG. 28 is an example screen shot of an outline of a stimulation fieldand corresponding template set on a coronal view of brain tissue.

FIG. 29 is an example screen shot of an outline of a stimulation fieldand corresponding template set on a sagittal view of brain tissue.

FIG. 30 is an example screen shot of an outline of a stimulation fieldand corresponding template set on an axial view of brain tissue.

FIG. 31 is an example screen shot of a menu window for template setsover a sagittal view of brain tissue.

FIG. 32 is a flow diagram illustrating an example technique for creatinga stimulation template set based upon received stimulation fieldsdefined by the user.

FIG. 33 is an example screen shot of a coronal view of reference anatomybrain tissue to aid the user in selecting a structure of the anatomy tostimulate.

FIG. 34 is an example screen shot of a sagittal view of referenceanatomy brain tissue to aid the user in selecting a structure of theanatomy to stimulate.

FIG. 35 is an example screen shot of an axial view of reference anatomybrain tissue to aid the user in selecting a structure of the anatomy tostimulate.

FIG. 36 is an example screen shot of a coronal view of reference anatomybrain tissue with the lead icon to aid the user in selecting a structureof the anatomy to stimulate.

FIG. 37 is an example screen shot of a sagittal view of referenceanatomy brain tissue with the lead icon to aid the user in selecting astructure of the anatomy to stimulate.

FIG. 38 is an example screen shot of an axial view of reference anatomybrain tissue to with the lead icon aid the user in selecting a structureof the anatomy to stimulate.

FIG. 39 is an example screen shot of a coronal view of reference anatomybrain tissue overlaid over a coronal view of the patient anatomy to aidthe user in selecting a structure of the patient anatomy to stimulate.

FIG. 40 is an example screen shot of a sagittal view of referenceanatomy brain tissue overlaid over a sagittal view of the patientanatomy to aid the user in selecting a structure of the patient anatomyto stimulate.

FIG. 41 is an example screen shot of an axial view of reference anatomybrain tissue overlaid over an axial view of the patient anatomy to aidthe user in selecting a structure of the patient anatomy to stimulate.

FIG. 42 is a flow diagram illustrating an example technique forreceiving stimulation input from a user using the reference anatomy.

FIG. 43 is an illustration that shows how the reference anatomy may becombined with the patient anatomy to result in a morphed atlas forprogramming the stimulation therapy.

FIG. 44 is an example screen shot of a coronal view of a morphed atlasto aid the user in selecting a structure of the anatomy to stimulate.

FIG. 45 is an example screen shot of a sagittal view of a morphed atlasto aid the user in selecting a structure of the anatomy to stimulate.

FIG. 46 is an example screen shot of an axial view of a morphed atlas toaid the user in selecting a structure of the anatomy to stimulate.

FIG. 47 is a flow diagram illustrating an example technique for creatingthe morphed atlas and receiving a structure selection from the user.

FIG. 48 is an example user interface that allows the user to selectstructures to stimulate from multiple pull down menus.

FIG. 49 is an example user interface that shows a pull down menu whichcontains anatomical structures that the user may select to program thestimulation therapy.

FIG. 50 is an example screen shot of a coronal view of a referenceanatomy with a pull down menu which contains anatomical structures thatthe user may select to program the stimulation therapy.

FIG. 51 is an example screen shot of a coronal view of a morphed atlasthat indicates which structure the user has pointed to with a pop-upmessage.

FIG. 52 is flow diagram illustrating an example technique for receivinga structure selection from a user and displaying the structure to theuser.

FIG. 53 is an example screen shot of a coronal view of a patient anatomywith an electrical field model of the defined stimulation therapy.

FIG. 54 is an example screen shot of a sagittal view of a patientanatomy with an electrical field model of the defined stimulationtherapy.

FIG. 55 is an example screen shot of an axial view of a patient anatomywith an electrical field model of the defined stimulation therapy.

FIG. 56 is an example screen shot of an axial view of a patient anatomywith an electrical field model of the enlarged defined stimulationtherapy from FIG. 56.

FIG. 57 is a flow diagram illustrating an example technique forcalculating and displaying the electrical field model of definedstimulation.

FIG. 58 is an example screen shot of a coronal view of a patient anatomywith an activation field model of the defined stimulation therapy.

FIG. 59 is an example screen shot of a sagittal view of a patientanatomy with an activation field model of the defined stimulationtherapy.

FIG. 60 is an example screen shot of an axial view of a patient anatomywith an activation field model of the defined stimulation therapy.

FIG. 61 is an example screen shot of an axial view of a patient anatomywith an enlarged activation field model from increasing the voltageamplitude from FIG. 60.

FIG. 62 is a flow diagram illustrating an example technique forcalculating and displaying the activation field model of definedstimulation.

FIG. 63 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a three-dimensional (3D)visualization environment including a 3D brain model for defining a 3Dstimulation field.

FIG. 64 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a rotated 3D brain modelwith the currently defined 3D stimulation field.

FIG. 65 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a manipulated 3Dstimulation field positioned within a 3D brain model.

FIG. 66 is a flow diagram illustrating an example technique for defininga 3D stimulation field within a 3D brain model of the patient.

FIG. 67 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a 3D visualizationenvironment including a 3D brain model and defined 3D stimulation fieldfor creating a stimulation template set.

FIG. 68 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a 3D visualizationenvironment including a 3D brain model and the created template setcorresponding to the defined 3D stimulation field.

FIG. 69 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a 3D) visualizationenvironment including a 3D brain model, the created template setcorresponding to the defined 3D stimulation field, and a lead icon.

FIG. 70 is a flow diagram illustrating an example technique for creatinga template set and displaying the template set in a 3D brain model ofthe patient.

FIG. 71 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a 3D visualizationenvironment including a 3D brain model and 3D electrical field model.

FIG. 72 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a 3D visualizationenvironment including a 3D brain model and enlarged 3D electrical fieldmodel as defined by the user.

FIG. 73 is a flow diagram illustrating an example technique forcalculating an electrical field model and displaying the field model tothe user.

FIG. 74 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a 3D visualizationenvironment including a 3D brain model and 3D activation field model.

FIG. 75 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a 3D visualizationenvironment including a 3D brain model and enlarged 3D activation fieldmodel as defined by the user.

FIG. 76 is a flow diagram illustrating an example technique forcalculating an activation field model and displaying the field model tothe user.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Electrical stimulation therapy may provide relief to a patient from manyconditions. However, the stimulation therapy efficacy is contingent on aclinician correctly configuring, or programming, the stimulationparameters in a manner that provides therapy to the patient whileminimizing side-effects produced from the stimulation. Due tophysiological diversity, condition differences, and inaccuracies instimulation lead placement, the parameters may vary greatly betweenpatients. Therefore, the clinician must individually program stimulationparameters for each patient. This programming process continuesthroughout the therapy as patient needs change.

Implanting stimulation leads with complex electrode array geometriesintroduces more complex programming challenges for the clinician.Although leads with complex electrode array geometries provide greaterflexibility in defining a stimulation field to provide therapy, theclinician must identify effective electrodes, electrode polarity,current and voltage amplitudes, pulse widths, and pulse frequencies ofeach electrode combination. Clinicians may prefer to focus onstimulating a particular anatomical structure or target tissue of thepatient, which becomes difficult when facing potentially millions ofprogramming options presented by a complex electrode array geometry.

A complex electrode array geometry generally refers to an arrangement ofstimulation electrodes at multiple non-planar or non-coaxial positions,in contrast to simple electrode array geometries in which the electrodesshare a common plane or a common axis. An example of a simple electrodearray geometry is an array of ring electrodes distributed at differentaxial positions along the length of a lead. Another example of a simpleelectrode array geometry is a planar array of electrodes on a paddlelead.

An example of a complex electrode array geometry, in accordance withthis disclosure, is an array of electrodes positioned at different axialpositions along the length of a lead, as well as at different angularpositions about the circumference of the lead. In some embodiments, theelectrodes in the complex array geometry may appear similar tonon-contiguous, arc-like segments of a conventional ring electrode. Alead with a complex electrode array geometry may include multiple ringsof electrode segments. Each ring is disposed at a different axialposition. Each electrode segment within a given ring is disposed at adifferent angular position. The lead may be cylindrical or have acircular cross-section of varying diameter.

Another example of a complex electrode array geometry is an array ofelectrodes positioned on multiple planes or faces of a lead. As anillustration, arrays of electrodes may be positioned on opposite planesof a paddle lead or multiple faces of a lead having a polygonalcross-section in a plane transverse to the longitudinal axis of thelead. As further examples, electrodes may be arranged at different axialand angular positions on leads defining spherical, hemispherical orgenerally rounded surfaces. Leads with complex electrode arraygeometries may have a defined shape or be at least partially conformableto an anatomical structure. In some embodiments, electrodes may be arcsections conforming to the overall lead geometry. In addition, theelectrodes may also be recessed within the lead.

An electrode combination is a selected subset of one or more electrodeslocated on one or more implantable leads coupled to an implantablestimulator. The electrode combination also refers to the polarities ofthe electrode segments in the selected subset. The electrodecombination, electrode polarities, amplitude, pulse width and pulse ratetogether define a program for delivery of electrical stimulation therapyby an implantable stimulator via an implantable lead or leads. Byselecting particular electrode combinations, a physician can targetparticular anatomic structures. By selecting values for amplitude, pulsewidth and pulse rate, the physician can attempt to optimize theelectrical therapy delivered to the patient via the selected electrodecombination or combinations.

As stimulation is moved from one electrode to another electrode aroundthe periphery, e.g., circumference, of a lead, the stimulation mayaffect entirely different anatomical structures. For this reason,providing the clinician with an interface that shows the electrodes inrelation the anatomical regions of the patient may be beneficial toeffective and efficient programming. Displaying the anatomy of thepatient to the clinician may allow the clinician to focus on configuringa stimulation field such that it is applied to targeted tissue, insteadof manually manipulating electrodes of a lead to conform to theanatomical structures of the patient. Once desired stimulation field is“marked” on an anatomical region of the patient, a system mayautomatically generate the required stimulation parameters needed toapproximate the defined stimulation field requested by the clinician.The stimulator then applies the stimulation parameters to produce thefield within the patient.

In accordance with this disclosure, a user interface facilitateselectrical stimulation programming by allowing a clinician to define andmanipulate a stimulation field within anatomical regions representingthe anatomical structures of the patient using a “field view.” Thestimulation field may be shown in conjunction with a representation ofthe implanted lead, e.g., a lead icon; and the field and leadrepresentations may be shown in relation the anatomical structures.

The resulting user interface may provide a programming environment thatpromotes delivering therapy instead of programming individualstimulation parameters of each electrode. However, an electrode viewthat permits programming of individual parameters and electrodes may beprovided on a selective basis.

The user interface may include two or more two dimensional (2D) views ofanatomical regions of the patient, or a 3D representation of theanatomical regions. One or more stimulation fields are displayed on theanatomical regions, and the clinician may adjust or manipulate thestimulation fields to reach the target one or more anatomical regions.

The user interface may be applied to any type electrical stimulationlead. Even programming a lead with one electrode, or an array ofelectrodes in one plane (2D), may become less demanding of clinicresources and result in greater quality of patient therapy when comparedto trial and error programming techniques that focus on manual selectionof electrodes instead of the stimulation field that the electrodesproduce.

To select electrode combinations within a complex lead array geometry,in accordance with this disclosure, a user interface permits a user toview electrodes from different perspectives relative to the lead. Forexample, the user interface may provide one or more axial perspectivesof a lead and a cross-sectional perspective of the lead in a planetransverse to a longitudinal axis of the lead. For DBS applications,examples of multiple perspectives include views of coronal, sagittal andhorizontal planes of the brain and the lead implanted within the brain.

As an alternative or in addition to defining and manipulating astimulation field to program the electrical stimulation therapy, theuser may program the stimulation therapy by selecting the appropriatestructure of the anatomical region to stimulate. For example, the systemmay provide the user with an atlas, or reference anatomical region of areference anatomy, that the user may use to select structures tostimulate. Alternatively, the system may provide the user with a morphedatlas that combines the reference anatomical region with a specificpatient anatomical region. This morphed atlas may allow the user to viewknown structures while correlating the known structures to the specificpatient anatomical region. The system may determine the stimulationparameters for stimulation based upon the selected structures from themorphed atlas. In this manner, programming the stimulation parametersmay be more efficient for a clinician by reducing or eliminating theneed to manually program the stimulation parameters.

In other embodiments, the system may show the user the tissue that willbe affected by the electrical stimulation as defined by the user. Thesystem may create a stimulation template set defining stimulationparameters that best matches the stimulation field defined by the user.The template set may be shown to the user in relation to the desiredstimulation field to illustrate the tissue that will be stimulated bythe system. The stimulation template set may be created from manystimulation templates stored within the system and used to simplify theprocess of generating stimulation parameters that fit the desiredstimulation field.

Alternatively, the system may illustrate an electrical field over theanatomical region to illustrate the estimated tissue that will beaffected by the defined stimulation field. The electrical field may beestimated by modeling the tissue around the complex electrode arraygeometry, and determining the propagation of the electrical field. Thesystem may use the electrical field to determine stimulation parameters,and the user may desire to view the electrical field to review whichstructures of the anatomical region will be affected by the electricalfield of the therapy. In addition to the electrical field, the systemmay apply a neuron model to the electrical field and use the resultingactivation model to determine which tissues within the electrical fieldwill be activated by the stimulation. The activation model may beprovided to the user such that the user can accurately review whichstructures of the anatomical region will be activated by thestimulation. The activation model may allow a user to avoid stimulationof unwanted structures, and confirm that desired structures arestimulated.

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example stimulationsystem with a stimulation lead implanted in the brain of a patient. Asshown in FIG. 1, stimulation system 10 includes implantable medicaldevice (IMD) 20, lead plug 22, lead wire 24 and lead 14 implanted withinpatient 12. Specifically, lead 14 enters through cranium 16 and isimplanted within brain 18 to deliver deep brain stimulation (DBS). Oneor more electrodes of lead 14 provides electrical pulses to surroundinganatomical regions of brain 18 in a therapy that may alleviate acondition of patient 12. In some embodiments, more than one lead 14 maybe implanted within brain 18 of patient 12 to stimulate multipleanatomical regions of the brain. As shown in FIG. 1, system 10 may alsoinclude a programmer 19, which may be a handheld device, portablecomputer, or workstation that provides a user interface to a clinician.The clinician interacts with the user interface to program stimulationparameters.

DBS may be used to treat dysfunctional neuronal activity in the brainwhich manifests as diseases or disorders such as Huntington's Disease,Parkinson's Disease, or movement disorders. The exact reasons whyelectrical stimulation therapy is capable of treating such conditions ofthe brain is unknown, but symptoms of these disease can be lessened oreliminated with stimulation therapy. Certain anatomical regions of brain18 are responsible for producing the symptoms of such brain disorders.For example, stimulating an anatomical region, such as the SubstantiaNigra, in brain 18 may reduce the number and magnitude of tremorsexperienced by patient 12. Other anatomical regions may include thesubthalamic nucleus, globus pallidus interna, ventral intermediate, andzona inserta. Anatomical regions such as these are targeted by theclinician during lead 14 implantation. In other words, the clinicianattempts to position the lead as close to these regions as possible.

While DBS may successfully reduce symptoms of some neurologicaldiseases, the stimulation commonly causes unwanted side effects as well.Side effects may include incontinence, tingling, loss of balance,paralysis, slurred speech, loss of memory, and many other neurologicalproblems. Side effects may be mild to severe; however, most side effectsare reversible when stimulation is stopped. DBS may cause one or moreside effects by inadvertently providing electrical stimulation pulses toanatomical regions near the targeted anatomical region. For this reason,the clinician typically programs the stimulation parameters in order tobalance effective therapy and minimal side effects.

Typical DBS leads include one or more electrodes placed along thelongitudinal axis of the lead, such as lead 14. Each electrode istypically a ring electrode that resides along the entire circumferenceof the lead. Therefore, electrical current from the ring electrodespropagates in all directions from the active electrode. The resultingstimulation field reaches anatomical regions of brain 18 within acertain distance in all directions. The stimulation field may reach thetarget anatomical region, but the stimulation field may also affectnon-target anatomical regions and produce unwanted side effects.Implanting a lead with a complex electrode array geometry may help tocustomize the stimulation field and provide improved therapy whiledecreasing side effects. In this manner, specific electrodes of thecomplex electrode array geometry may be selected to produce astimulation field at desired portions of the circumference instead ofalways producing a stimulation field around the entire circumference ofthe lead. Also, the complex electrode array geometry may require a threedimensional method for a clinician to define which electrodes to use.

Lead 14 has a complex electrode array geometry in the preferredembodiment, but the lead may also include one or more single ringelectrodes along the longitudinal axis in other embodiments. Forexample, the disclosure may be applicable to leads having all ringelectrodes, or one or more ring electrodes in combination withelectrodes at different axial positions and angular positions around thecircumference of the lead. As an example, lead 14 includes a pluralityof electrodes positioned at different axial positions along thelongitudinal axis of the lead and a plurality of electrodes positionedat different angular positions around the circumference of the lead(which may be referred to as segmented electrodes). In this manner,electrodes may be selected along the longitudinal axis of lead 14 andalong the circumference of the lead. Activating selective electrodes oflead 14 can produce customizable stimulation fields that may be directedto a particular side of lead 14 in order to isolate the stimulationfield around the target anatomical region of brain 18.

Producing irregular stimulation fields with a lead 14 with a complexelectrode geometry not only allows system 10 to more effectively treatcertain anatomical regions of brain 18, but the system can also reduceor eliminate side effects from more spherical stimulation fieldsproduced by a conventional array of ring electrodes. The center of thestimulation field may be moved away from lead 14 to avoid unwantedstimulation or compensate for inaccurately placed leads. If leadsmigrate within brain 18 slightly, a customizable stimulation field mayprovide a longer duration of effective therapy as stimulation needs ofpatient 12 change.

Programming lead 14 is more involved and complex when compared totraditional leads because of the increased number of possible electrodecombinations and resulting stimulation fields. Effective programming maybe difficult for the clinician if the clinician is required tosystematically select each electrode of lead 14 in order to find theelectrode combinations that provide therapy and minimal side effects.While the clinician may still desire the ability to manually selectcertain general areas of electrodes of lead 14, e.g., the group ofcircumferential electrodes at one level or length of the lead,programming time may be reduced if the clinician uses a user interfacethat enables the clinician to define a stimulation field andautomatically generate the stimulation parameters that would produce thestimulation field in patient 12.

The user interface of programmer 19 displays a representation of theanatomical regions of patient 12, specifically anatomical regions ofbrain 18. The 3D space of the anatomical regions may be displayed asmultiple 2D views or one 3D visualization environment. Lead 14 may alsobe represented on the display of the user interface, positionedaccording to the actual implantation location by the clinician ordirectly from an image taken of the lead within brain 18.

The clinician interacts with the user interface to manually select andprogram certain electrodes of lead 14, select an electrode level of thelead and adjust the resulting stimulation field with the anatomicalregions as guides, or defining one or more stimulation fields onlyaffect anatomical regions of interest. Once the clinician has definedthe one or more stimulation fields, system 10 automatically generatesthe stimulation parameters associated with each of the stimulationfields and transmits the parameters to IMD 20.

System 10 may provide the clinician with additional tools that allow theclinician to accurately program the complex electrode array geometry oflead 14 for therapy. These tools may include creating and displaying astimulation template set that corresponds to the stimulation fielddefined by the clinician. The stimulation template set may indicate tothe clinician the actual stimulation that will occur based upon thestimulation field. Alternatively, system 10 may provide an electricalfield or activation field to the clinician that illustrates the exactstructures of the anatomical region that will be affected by thestimulation field. The electrical field may be indicative of theelectrical propagation through the tissue surrounding lead 14, while theactivation field may be indicative of the actual neurons within theelectrical field that are activated by the therapy. Further, instead ofor in addition to defining a stimulation field over an anatomical regionof the patient, system 10 may provide a reference anatomical region of areference anatomy, or an atlas, that allows the clinician to directlyselect the structures of the atlas that are targeted for therapy. Theatlas may be mapped to the anatomical region of the patient anatomy ormorphed together with the patient specific imaging to create a morphedatlas that indicates where each structure of the patient specificimaging resides. System 10 may then generate stimulation parameters tostimulate the selected structures. These alternative aspects of system10 will be described in detail below.

Because clinicians are more familiar with physiology and anatomy thanthe operation and programming of stimulation parameters, clinicians mayspend much less time configuring therapy for patient 12 by choosing whatstructures of the anatomical region should be stimulated. In some cases,system 10 may even indicate which structures the clinician has selectedthrough the use of a pop-up bubble or structure list. Alternatively, theclinician may be able to select one or more specific outcomes from alist, e.g., outcome selection input, where the outcome is a commonresult of stimulation to one or more structures of patient 12. Lessclinician programming time with the user interface may result in agreater number of patients receiving effective therapy with potentiallyless side effects from time induced clinician mistakes.

The user interface provided in many different embodiments may allow aclinician to define a stimulation field which is used to generatestimulation parameters for IMD 20 and lead 14. A first embodiment mayutilize 2D views, or sections, of the anatomical regions of brain 18.The clinician may place a lead icon over the anatomical regions in each2D view to represent the actual location of implanted lead 14. Once thelead icon is present, the clinician may select an electrode level andadjust the stimulation field position and magnitude by switching betweendifferent 2D views. Example 2D views may include coronal, sagittal, andaxial slices of brain 18.

Another embodiment is similar to the first embodiment in that multiple2D views are provided to the clinician to represent the 3D anatomicalregions. The clinician defines, with an outline for example, one or morestimulation fields on three 2D views of the anatomical regions ofpatient 12. A 3D stimulation field volume is therefore defined by the 2Doutlines and programmer 19 automatically generates appropriatestimulation parameters to at least approximate the defined field. Theclinician may adjust the stimulation field by reviewing the 2D views andmoving the outline. The outline may be established automatically by theprogrammer or the clinician may draw the outline using a stylus andtouchscreen or other input media.

Further embodiments of system 10 allow the user to define a stimulationfield on each of multiple 2D views in accordance to which structures ofthe anatomical region should be stimulated. System 10 then creates astimulation template set that best fits the defined stimulation field.The stimulation template set that best fits the stimulation field may bepresented to the clinician via the user interface over the definedstimulation field. If the clinician is not satisfied with thestimulation template set that is provided, the clinician may change thestimulation field until a template set is acceptable.

Other embodiments of system 10 provide an atlas to the clinician toreduce the difficulty of finding the desired structure to stimulate. Inthis case, the clinician may select the desired structure by selectingthe structure from a simple drop down menu or from a graphicalrepresentation of the atlas. The atlas may be overlaid with theanatomical region of the patient anatomy for easy identification ofstructures of the patient. Alternatively, system 10 may generate amorphed atlas based upon the atlas and the patient anatomical region.Essentially, the locations of structures in the atlas are mapped to thepatient anatomical region for selection.

Further embodiments of system 10 provide an electrical field model or anactivation field model to the clinician over the anatomical region toindicate which structures will actually be affected by the definedstimulation. After defining the stimulation field and viewing theresulting electrical field or activation field, the clinician may beable to increase or decrease the amplitude to adjust the model accordingto what structures need to be stimulated by lead 14.

An additional embodiment utilizes a 3D visualization environment thatenables the clinician to view a 3D representation of anatomical regionsof brain 18. The clinician places a 3D stimulation field within theanatomical regions and manipulates the shape, size, and placement of the3D stimulation field to stimulation the target anatomical regions. Theclinician may rotate and zoom the view to see exactly what anatomicalregions the stimulation field will reach. A 3D lead icon may be presentto show the clinician how the stimulation field relates to the positionof implanted lead 14.

The 3D visualization environment may also incorporate an atlas, amorphed atlas, a stimulation template set, an electrical field model, oran activation model to assist the clinician in programming thestimulation therapy. The 3D environment allows the physician to rotateand zoom in on any portion of the 3D anatomical region represented inthe 3D environment. The clinician can easily see which structures willbe stimulated according to the defined stimulation field and whichstructures will be left unaffected. The 3D environment may reduce theamount of time the clinician must spend to initially program thestimulation therapy and optimize the therapy.

Other embodiments of the user interface are also contemplated, such ascombinations of elements of the three embodiments described brieflyabove. For example, the clinician may select an electrode level of alead icon in the 3D environment and manipulate the stimulation fieldprovided by the electrodes of that electrode level. Some embodiments maybegin with 2D views of the 3D anatomical regions and generate a 3D viewof the defined stimulation field within the anatomical structures. Inany embodiment, the user interface may restrict clinician definedstimulation fields based upon the stimulation abilities of IMD 20 andlead 14. For example, the clinician may not make the stimulation fieldlarger when the voltage cannot be increased or no more electrodes areavailable in the direction of the stimulation field. Additionally, theuser interface may restrict the clinician from applying the stimulationfield to an anatomical region or structure specifically banned fromstimulation. Stimulation of these areas may severely alter thephysiology of patient 12 and cause detrimental side effects orirreversible side effects.

The stimulation field defined by the clinician using a user interfacedescribed herein is associated with certain stimulation parametervalues. Programmer 19 automatically generates the stimulation parametersrequired by the stimulation field and wirelessly transmits theparameters to IMD 20. The parameters may also be saved on programmer 19for review at a later time. In some cases, programmer 19 may not becapable of generating stimulation parameters that can produce thedefined stimulation field within brain 18. Programmer 19 may display anerror message to the clinician alerting the clinician to adjust thestimulation field. Programmer 19 may also display a reason why thestimulation field cannot be provided, such as the field is too large oran electrode is malfunctioning and cannot be used. Other errors may alsobe displayed to the clinician.

Generally, the user interface is not used to provide real-timeprogramming to IMD 20. The clinician will use the user interface todefine stimulation fields, and programmer 19 automatically generates thestimulation parameters when the clinician has determined the stimulationfield is ready for therapy. In this manner, stimulation therapyperceived by patient 12 does not change at the same time the clinicianchanges the stimulation field. However, the user interface could be usedas such in a real-time programming environment to provide immediatefeedback to the clinician. In this manner,

System 10 may also include multiple leads 14 or electrodes on leads ofother shapes and sizes. The user interface may allow the clinician toprogram each lead simultaneously or require the clinician to programeach lead separately. In some DBS patients, two leads 14 are implantedat symmetrical locations within brain 18 for bilateral stimulation. Inparticular, a first lead is placed in the right hemisphere of brain 18and a second lead is placed at the same location within the lefthemisphere of the brain. Programmer 19 may allow the clinician to createa stimulation field for the first lead and create a mirrored stimulationfield for the second lead. The clinician may be able to make fineadjustment to either stimulation field do accommodate the slightanatomical region differences between the left and right hemispheres.

While lead 14 is described for use in DBS applications throughout thisdisclosure as an example, lead 14, or other leads, may be implanted atany other location within patient 12. For example, lead 14 may beimplanted near the spinal cord, pudendal nerve, sacral nerve, or anyother nervous or muscle tissue that may be stimulated. The userinterface described herein may be used to program the stimulationparameters of any type of stimulation therapy. In the case of pelvicnerves, defining a stimulation field may allow the clinician tostimulate multiple desired nerves without placing multiple leads deepinto patient 12 and adjacent to sensitive nerve tissue. Therapy may alsobe changed if leads migrate to new locations within the tissue orpatient 12 no longer perceives therapeutic effects of the stimulation.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are conceptual diagrams illustrating two differentimplantable stimulation leads. Leads 26 and 34 are embodiments of lead14 shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2A, lead 26 includes four electrodelevels 32 (includes levels 32A-32D) mounted at various lengths of leadhousing 30. Lead 26 is inserted into through cranium 16 to a targetposition within brain 18.

Lead 26 is implanted within brain 18 at a location determined by theclinician to be near an anatomical region to be stimulated. Electrodelevels 32A, 32B, 32C, and 32D are equally spaced along the axial lengthof lead housing 30 at different axial positions. Each electrode level 32may have two or more electrodes located at different angular positionsaround the circumference of lead housing 30. Electrodes of onecircumferential location may be lined up on an axis parallel to thelongitudinal axis of lead 26. Alternatively, electrodes of differentelectrode levels may be staggered around the circumference of leadhousing 30. In addition, lead 26 or 34 may include asymmetricalelectrode locations around the circumference of each lead or electrodesof the same level that have different sizes. These electrodes mayinclude semi-circular electrodes that may or may not becircumferentially aligned between electrode levels.

Lead housing 30 may include a radiopaque stripe (not shown) along theoutside of the lead housing. The radiopaque stripe corresponds to acertain circumferential location that allows lead 26 to the imaged whenimplanted in patient 12. Using the images of patient 12, the cliniciancan use the radiopaque stripe as a marker for the exact orientation oflead 26 within the brain of patient 12. Orientation of lead 26 may beneeded to easily program the stimulation parameters by generating thecorrect electrode configuration to match the stimulation field definedby the clinician. In other embodiments, a marking mechanism other than aradiopaque stripe may be used to identify the orientation of lead 14.These marking mechanisms may include something similar to a tab, detent,or other structure on the outside of lead housing 30. In someembodiments, the clinician may note the position of markings along leadwire 24 during implantation to determine the orientation of lead 14within patient 12.

FIG. 2B illustrates lead 34 that includes more electrode levels thanlead 26. Similar to lead 26, lead 34 is inserted though a burr hole incranium 16 to a target location within brain 18. Lead 34 includes leadhousing 38. Eight electrode levels 40 (40A-40H) are located at thedistal end of lead 34. Each electrode level 40 is evenly spaced from theadjacent electrode level and includes one or more electrodes. In apreferred embodiment, each electrode level 40 includes four electrodesdistributed around the circumference of lead housing 38. Therefore, lead34 includes 32 electrodes in a preferred embodiment. Each electrode maybe substantially rectangular in shape. Alternatively, the individualelectrodes may have alternative shapes, e.g., circular, oval,triangular, or the like.

In alternative embodiments, electrode levels 32 or 40 are not evenlyspaced along the longitudinal axis of the respective leads 26 and 34.For example, electrode levels 32C and 32D may be spaced approximately 3millimeters (mm) apart while electrodes 32A and 32B are 10 mm apart.Variable spaced electrode levels may be useful in reaching targetanatomical regions deep within brain 18 while avoiding potentiallydangerous anatomical regions. Further, the electrodes in adjacent levelsneed not be aligned in the direction as the longitudinal axis of thelead, and instead may be oriented diagonally with respect to thelongitudinal axis.

Leads 26 and 34 are substantially rigid to prevent the implanted leadfrom varying from the expected lead shape. Leads 26 or 34 may besubstantially cylindrical in shape. In other embodiments, leads 26 or 34may be shaped differently than a cylinder. For example, the leads mayinclude one or more curves to reach target anatomical regions of brain18. In some embodiments, leads 26 or 34 may be similar to a flat paddlelead or a conformable lead shaped for patient 12. Also, in otherembodiments, leads 26 and 34 may any of a variety of different polygonalcross sections taken transverse to the longitudinal axis of the lead.

Lead housings 30 and 38 may continue directly into lead wire 24. Aretention device may be used to squeeze the lead and shape it toapproximately a 90 degree angle as it exits cranium 16. In someembodiments, lead housing 30 or 38 may include a right angle connectorthat allows lead 26 and 34 to be inserted into cranium 16 via a burrhole cap. In embodiments of system 10 including two or more leads 14,two or more leads may be connected to a common lead wire 24. In thiscase, a connector at the surface of cranium 16 may couple each lead 14to lead wire 24.

FIGS. 3A-3D are transverse cross-sections of example stimulation leadshaving one or more electrodes around the circumference of the lead. Asshown in FIGS. 3A-3D, one electrode level, such as one of electrodelevels 32 and 40 of leads 26 and 34, respectively, are shown to includeone or more circumferential electrodes. FIG. 3A shows electrode level 42that includes circumferential electrode 44. Circumferential electrode 44encircles the entire circumference of electrode level 42.Circumferential electrode 44 may be utilized as a cathode or anode asconfigured by the user interface.

FIG. 3B shows electrode level 46 which includes two electrodes 48 and50. Each electrode 48 and 50 wraps approximately 170 degrees around thecircumference of electrode level 46. Spaces of approximately 10 degreesare located between electrodes 48 and 50 to prevent inadvertent couplingof electrical current between the electrodes. Each electrode 48 and 50may be programmed to act as an anode or cathode.

FIG. 3C shows electrode level 52 which includes three equally sizedelectrodes 54, 56 and 58. Each electrode 54, 56 and 58 encompassapproximately 110 degrees of the circumference of electrode level 52.Similar to electrode level 46, spaces of approximately 10 degreesseparate electrodes 54, 56 and 58. Electrodes 54, 56 and 58 may beindependently programmed as an anode or cathode for stimulation.

FIG. 3D shows electrode level 60 which includes four electrodes 62, 64,66 and 68. Each electrode 62-68 covers approximately 80 degrees of thecircumference with approximately 10 degrees of insulation space betweenadjacent electrodes. In other embodiments, up to ten or more electrodesmay be included within an electrode level. In alternative embodiments,consecutive electrode levels of lead 14 may include a variety ofelectrode levels 42, 46, 52 or 60. For example, lead 14 may includeelectrode levels that alternate between electrode levels 52 and 60depicted in FIGS. 3C and 3D. In this manner, various stimulation fieldshapes may be produced within brain 18 of patient 12. Further theabove-described sizes of electrodes within an electrode level are merelyexamples, and the invention is not limited to the example electrodesizes.

Also, the insulation space, or non-electrode surface area, may be of anysize. Generally, the insulation space is between approximately 1 degreeand approximately 20 degrees. More specifically, the insulation spacemay be between approximately 5 and approximately 15 degrees. Smallerinsulation spaces may allow a greater volume of tissue to be stimulated.In alternative embodiments, electrode size may be varied around thecircumference of an electrode level. In addition, insulation spaces mayvary in size as well. Such asymmetrical electrode levels may be used inleads implanted at tissues needing certain shaped stimulation fields.

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of an example implantable medicaldevice that generates electrical stimulation signals. FIG. 4 illustratescomponents of IMD 20, which can be utilized by any of the IMDembodiments described herein. In the example of FIG. 4, IMD 20 includesa processor 70, memory 72, stimulation generator 74, telemetry interface76, and power source 78. As shown in FIG. 4, stimulation generator 74 iscoupled to lead wire 24 (which includes lead 14). Alternatively,stimulation generator 74 may be coupled to a different number of leadsas needed to provide stimulation therapy to patient 12.

Processor 70 controls stimulation generator 74 to deliver electricalstimulation therapy according to programs generated by a user interfaceand stored in memory 72 and/or received from programmer 19 via telemetryinterface 76. As an example, a new program received from programmer 19may modify the electrode configuration and amplitude of stimulation.Processor 70 may communicate with stimulation generator 74 to change theelectrode configuration used during the therapy and modify the amplitudeof stimulation. Processor 70 may then store these values in memory 72 tocontinue providing stimulation according to the new program. Processor70 may stop the previous program before starting the new stimulationprogram as received from programmer 19. In some embodiments, amplitudeof the stimulation signal may be ramped down or ramped up as a programis being turned off or turned on. In this manner, no abrupt stimulationchanges may be perceived by patient 12. A ramp up of the new program mayprovide patient 12 time to stop stimulation if the new program isuncomfortable or even painful.

Processor 70 may comprise any one or more of a microprocessor, digitalsignal processor (DSP), application specific integrated circuit (ASIC),field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other digital logic circuitry.Memory 72 stores instructions for execution by processor 70, e.g.,instructions that when executed by processor 70 cause the processor andIMD to provide the functionality ascribed to them herein, as well asstimulation programs. Memory 72 may include any one or more of a randomaccess memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electronically-erasableprogrammable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory, or the like.

Stimulation generator 74 may provide stimulation in the form of pulsesto patient 12. Alternatively, stimulation generator 74 may providetherapy in the form of some continuous signal such as a sine wave orother non-pulse therapy. Stimulation parameters for each stimulationprogram may include electrode configuration, current or voltageamplitude, pulse width, pulse rate, or duty cycle. Other parameters maybe used depending on the therapy to be provided to patient 12.Stimulation generator 74 may independently utilize any circumferentialelectrodes 32 or 40 or leads 26 and 34, respectively. In this manner,stimulation generator 74 may be utilized to deliver stimulation vianumerous different electrode configurations to provide therapy for awide variety of patient conditions. In addition, stimulation generator74 may test the functionality of electrodes on lead 14. Based upon theimpedance testing, specific electrodes may be removed from possible usein therapy when the test indicates that the impedance is above or belownormal operating limits.

Telemetry interface 76 may include circuitry known in the art forfacilitating wireless telemetry, e.g., via radio frequency (RF)communication or proximal inductive interaction with similar circuitrywithin external programmer 19. Power source 78 delivers operating powerto the components of IMD 20. Power source 78 may include a battery and apower generation circuit to produce the operating power. In someembodiments, the battery may be rechargeable to allow extendedoperation. Recharging may be accomplished through proximal inductiveinteraction between an external charger and an inductive charging coilwithin IMD 20. In other embodiments, non-rechargeable batteries may beused. As a further alternative, an external power supply couldtranscutaneously power IMD 20 whenever stimulation is needed or desired.

FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram of an example programmer. As shownin FIG. 5, external programmer 19 includes processor 80, memory 82, userinterface 84, telemetry interface 86, and power source 88. Programmer 19may be used to present anatomical regions to the user via user interface84, select stimulation programs, generate new stimulation programs withstimulation fields, and transmit the new programs to IMD 20. Asdescribed herein, programmer 19 may allow a clinician to definestimulation fields and generate appropriate stimulation parameters. Forexample, as described herein processor 80 may store stimulationparameters as one or more programs in memory 82. Processor 80 may sendprograms to IMD 20 via telemetry interface 86 to control stimulationautomatically and/or as directed by the user.

Programmer 19 may be one of a clinician programmer or a patientprogrammer in some embodiments, i.e., the programmer may be configuredfor use depending on the intended user. A clinician programmer mayinclude more functionality than the patient programmer. For example, aclinician programmer may include a more featured user interface, allow aclinician to download usage and status information from IMD 20, andallow a clinician to control aspects of the IMD not accessible by apatient programmer embodiment of programmer 19.

A user, either a clinician or patient 12, may interact with processor 80through user interface 84. Any of the user interface embodimentsdescribed herein may be embodiments of user interface 84, such as userinterfaces 90, 314, 380, 456. 554, 600, 652, 730, 798, 850, 876, 916,964, 1072, 1114, 1162, 1198. User interface 84 may include a display,such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), light-emitting diode (LED)display, or other screen, to show information related to stimulationtherapy, and buttons or a pad to provide input to programmer 19. Inembodiments where user interface 84 requires a 3D environment, the userinterface may support 3D environments such as a holographic display, astereoscopic display, an autostereoscopic display, a head-mounted 3Ddisplay, or any other display that is capable of presenting a 3D imageto the user. Buttons may include an on/off switch, plus and minusbuttons to zoom in or out or navigate through options, a select buttonto pick or store an input, and pointing device, i.e. a mouse, trackball,pointstick or stylus. Other input devices may be a wheel to scrollthrough options or a touch pad to move a pointing device on the display.In some embodiments, the display may be a touch screen that enables theuser to select options directly from the display screen.

As described, the display may be more involved for the 3D user interface189. In this case, programmer 19 may be a workstation within alaboratory, clinic room, or surgical room. The clinician may need toimmerse within the display to fully utilize the functionality of theuser interface. In some cases, programmer 19 may be a hand held devicefor all features except the 3D environment when the 3D environmentnecessitates a larger system. However, programmer 19 may still beintegrated with or communicate with the 3D environment to simplifysystem 10 for the user.

Processor 80 processes instructions from memory 82 and may store userinput received through user interface 84 into the memory whenappropriate for the current therapy. In addition, processor 80 providesand supports any of the functionality described herein with respect toeach embodiment of user interface 84. Processor 80 may comprise any oneor more of a microprocessor, digital signal processor (DSP), applicationspecific integrated circuit (ASIC), field-programmable gate array(FPGA), or other digital logic circuitry.

Memory 82 may include instructions for operating user interface 84,telemetry interface 86 and managing power source 88. Memory 82 alsoincludes instructions for generating stimulation fields and stimulationparameters from the stimulation fields. These instructions may include aset of equations needed to characterize brain tissue and interpretstimulation field dimensions. Memory 82 may include any one or more of arandom access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM),electronically-erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory, or thelike. Processor 80 may comprise any one or more of a microprocessor,digital signal processor (DSP), application specific integrated circuit(ASIC), field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other digital logiccircuitry.

Memory 82 may store program instructions that, when executed byprocessor 80, cause the processor and programmer 19 to provide thefunctionality ascribed to them herein. For example, memory 82 mayinclude a plurality of stimulation templates that are used by processor80 to create a stimulation template set. Memory 82 may also includeinstructions for generating stimulation parameters based upon thedefined stimulation field. In addition, instructions that allowprocessor 80 to create electrical field models and activation fieldmodels may be stored within memory 82. An atlas or reference anatomicalregion may also be stored in memory 82 for presentation to theclinician. In some embodiments, memory 82 does not contain instructionsfor all functionality for the user interfaces and programming ofstimulation parameters as described herein. In this case, memory 82 mayonly hold the necessary instructions for the specific embodiment thatthe user desires. Memory 82 may be reformatted with different sets ofinstructions when needed.

Wireless telemetry in programmer 19 may be accomplished by radiofrequency (RF) communication or proximal inductive interaction ofprogrammer 19 with IMD 20. This wireless communication is possiblethrough the use of telemetry interface 86. Accordingly, telemetryinterface 86 may include circuitry known in the art for suchcommunication.

Power source 88 delivers operating power to the components of programmer19. Power source 88 may include a battery and a power generation circuitto produce the operating power. In some embodiments, the battery may berechargeable to allow extended operation. Recharging may be accomplishedthrough proximal inductive interaction, or electrical contact withcircuitry of a base or recharging station. In other embodiments, primarybatteries may be used. In addition, programmer 19 may be directlycoupled to an alternating current source, such would be the case with astationary workstation for 3D visualization environments.

FIGS. 6-13 describe an example embodiment of the user interface forprogramming stimulation therapy. FIG. 6 is an example screen shot of alead icon placed on a coronal view of brain tissue. As shown in FIG. 6,a representation of anatomical regions of brain 18 is displayed by userinterface 90. Programmer 19 displays coronal view 92 to the clinician,which is a front-back vertical section of brain 18. Coronal view 92 maybe an actual image of brain 18 produced with magnetic resonance imaging(MRI), computed tomography (CT), or another imaging modality. Theseimages are used to produce the anatomical regions needed to help theclinician program the stimulation parameters.

Coronal view 92 is a 2D coronal slice of brain 18. Differently shadedportions of coronal view 92 indicate varying densities of tissue withinbrain 18. Darker portions indicate less dense tissue. For example, thedarkest portion of coronal view 92 is indicative of spaces within brain18 that contain cerebral spinal fluid (CSF). White portions of brain 18indicate dense tissue and more neurons. The clinician may be able torecognize target anatomical regions by viewing coronal view 92. Itshould be noted that coronal view 92 is only an example, and actualimages may include a wider range of shades and higher image resolution.Coronal view 92 provides a first perspective of the lead and theanatomical region in which the lead is implanted.

Coronal view 92 includes lead icon 94, pointer 96, previous arrow 98 andnext arrow 100. The clinician uses pointer 96 to drag lead icon 94 intoposition on top of the anatomical regions to duplicate the position oflead 14 within brain 18. Programmer 19 may initially orient theclinician to the middle depth of the coronal view 92 or another depththat the programmer automatically selects based upon they type oftherapy, implant location, or some other simple indication of location.However, the clinician may use arrows 98 and 100 to move to anothercoronal depth where lead 14 is implanted in brain 18.

Pointer 96 may be controlled with a mouse and buttons, a track-ball,touch-pad, or other movement input device. In addition, programmer 19may include a touch screen to enable the clinician to use a stylus toclick on the touch screen and drag lead icon 94 into position. Pointer96 may also be used to rotate lead icon 94 within coronal view 92 tocorrectly orient the lead icon according to the actual position of lead14 within brain 18. In other embodiments, the clinician may first selectthe type of lead implanted within patient 12 and select the correctlyscaled size of lead icon 94 to correspond with the anatomical regions ofcoronal view 92.

The clinician may zoom in to or out of coronal view 92 for a larger viewof anatomical regions of the coronal view. In addition, the clinicianmay move coronal view 92 up, down, left, or right to view a greaterportion of brain 18. Input mechanisms for adjusting coronal view 92 maybe located on programmer 19 or directly within user interface 92.

While the clinician may manually position lead icon 94 within coronalview 92, user interface 90 may automatically position lead icon 94 basedupon stereotactic data generated before lead 14 implantation isperformed. A stereotactic frame may be placed on cranium 16 tospecifically locate areas of brain 18. In addition, this stereotacticinformation may be used to provide coordinates of the exact location oflead 14 implantation. In other embodiments, brain 18 may be imaged afterimplantation of lead 14 such that the lead is identifiable on coronalview 92. The clinician may point to and identify electrodes of lead 14in the image to allow programmer 19 to reconstruct the correct positionof the lead. In some cases, programmer 19 may automatically identifylead 14 and place lead icon 94 correctly within the anatomical regionwithout any input from the clinician.

Once lead icon 94 is correctly placed on coronal view 92, the clinicianmay move to the next view of user interface 90 by selecting view button101 to cycle through available orthogonal views. Coronal view 92 is onlyone 2D representation of brain 18. Two more 2D views of brain 18 may beused to correctly orient lead icon 94 according to the implantorientation of lead 14, including another axial view from the sagittalperspective and a cross-sectional view from the horizontal perspective.

FIG. 7 is an example screen shot of a lead placed on a sagittal view ofbrain tissue. As shown in FIG. 7, user interface 90 includes sagittalview 102 of brain 18. The anatomical regions represented in sagittalview 102 may be generated with the same imaging data used for coronalview 92 in FIG. 6. Sagittal view 102 also includes lead icon 104,pointer 106, previous arrow 108 and next arrow 110, similar to lead icon94, pointer 96, previous arrow 98 and next arrow 100 FIG. 6. Theclinician may zoom in and out of sagittal view 102 and move the view tothe left, right, up and down.

The initial placement of lead icon 104 corresponds to the positiondetermined in coronal view 92 of FIG. 6. The clinician uses pointer 106to drag lead icon 104 into its correct place among the representedanatomical regions. The clinician may also rotate lead icon 104 ifnecessary to match the orientation of lead 14 implanted within patient12. Programmer 19 may initially orient the clinician to the depth ofsagittal view 102 that corresponds to the initial placement of lead icon94 in view 92. However, the clinician may use arrows 108 and 110 to moveto another sagittal depth where lead 14 is implanted in brain 18.

In the example of Parkinson's disease, stimulation therapy is generallydirected to an anatomical region of brain 18 identified as theSubstantia Nigra (SN). Simulation of the SN is generally regarded as amechanism to reduce the motor tremors associated with Parkinson'sdisease. The clinician uses sagittal view 102, and coronal view 92, tolocate lead icon 14 near the SN because lead 14 is implanted near theSN. Stimulation of adjacent non-target anatomical regions of brain 18may produce side effects in patient 12. In some embodiments, theclinician may target the Subthalamic Nucleus, instead of or in additionto the Substantia Nigra.

Similar to coronal view 92, lead icon 104 may be automatically placed inthe proper position of sagittal view 102 or the actual location of lead14 may be shown to allow a user to correct the orientation of lead icon104. Once lead icon 104 is correctly positioned, the clinician may moveto an axial view (or another previous view such as sagittal or coronal)by pressing view button 111 to finish orienting lead icon 104 withinuser interface 90.

FIG. 8 is an example screen shot of a lead placed on an axial view ofbrain tissue. As shown in FIG. 8, user interface 90 provides axial view112. Axial view 112 displays pointer 116, lead icon 114, previous arrow118 and next arrow 120. The initial position of lead icon 114 isdetermined by the positioning of lead icons 94 and 104 in FIGS. 6 and 7.The clinician uses pointer 116 to rotate lead icon 114 such that thelead icon is correctly oriented in the circumferential directionaccording to implanted lead 14. Programmer 19 may initially orient leadicon 114 to the axial depth of axial view 112. However, the clinicianmay use arrows 118 and 120 to move to another coronal depth where lead14 is implanted in brain 18.

Lead icon 114 includes stripe 115 extending from the lead icon thatcorresponds to a radiopaque stripe or other marker on lead 14. Theclinician matches the stripe location to match lead 14 orientation suchthat stimulation parameters, including electrode configurations, arecorrect. Once the rotation of lead icon top 114 is complete, the leadicon is correctly positioned within user interface 90. The stripe aidsthe user in maintaining a sense of spatial relationship between the leadand the anatomical structure.

In some embodiments, lead 14 may not actually be completelyperpendicular with axial view 112. Even though the orientation of leadicons 94, 104 and 114 and lead 14 may not be perfectly matched, thegenerally matched orientations may be sufficiently accurate toeffectively program stimulation therapy. In other embodiments, axialview 112 may display lead icon 114 as a slightly oblique view of thatillustrated in FIG. 8 to match the actual placement of lead 14 withinbrain 18.

After correctly orienting lead icons 94, 104 and 114 within userinterface 90, the clinician may define stimulation fields that can betransposed from the user interface to IMD 20. At any time during theprogramming process, the clinician may return to re-position lead icons94, 104, or 114 if the placement is not accurate. The clinician mayselect view button 121 to cycle through the other views. In someembodiments, programmer 19 may display one or more of coronal view 92,sagittal view 102, or axial views 102 at the same time to allow theclinician to simultaneously position lead icons 94, 104 and 114 andcontinue programming therapy. In alternative embodiments, the correctplacement of lead icon 94 may not lie within one of the coronal view 92,sagittal view 102, or axial view 102. Instead, lead icon 94 may liewithin an oblique view, e.g., a view in a plane not parallel to one ofthe aforementioned orthogonal views. In this case, the clinician may beable to request that programmer 19 generate and present the oblique viewwith or without lead icon 94 to facilitate stimulation programming. Inaddition, programmer 19 may be able to display other orthogonal views tothe oblique view, wherein the oblique or orthogonal view allows theclinician to view down the central axis of lead icon 94.

FIG. 9 is an example screen shot of stimulation field selection on acoronal view of brain tissue. As shown in FIG. 9, field view 122 of userinterface 90 allows the clinician to select and adjust one or morestimulation fields. Field view 122 includes lead icon 124, pointer 126,stimulation field 136, fine control 142, control slide 144, previousarrow 138, and next arrow 140. Lead icon 124 is similar to lead icon 94of FIG. 6, but the clinician may user pointer 126 to select one ofelectrode levels 128, 130, 132 or 134 to place a stimulation field overthe selected electrode level. An electrode level may have one or moreelectrodes around the circumference of lead icon 124, e.g., a complexelectrode array geometry. All circumferential electrodes of the selectedelectrode level are initially activated for programming. Generally, theclinician attempts to place stimulation field 136 over the anatomicalregions targeted for stimulation therapy while avoiding anatomicalregions that may initiate unwanted side effects. In some embodiments,stimulation field 136 may be a representation of an electrical field,current density, voltage gradient, or neuron activation, applied to ageneric human tissue or the anatomy of patient 12. In addition, theclinician may be able to switch between any of these representationswhen desired.

The clinician selected electrode level 132 and stimulation field 136shows the anatomical region that would be stimulated with the electrodelevel. The clinician may use pointer 126 to drag stimulation field 136to a smaller or larger size that corresponds to a lower or highervoltage or current amplitude. For example, the user may click on aborder, or perimeter of the field, and then drag the border to expand orcontract the field. This adjustment is the coarse control of the size ofstimulation field 136. The clinician may use pointer 126 to move controlslide 144 up to slightly increase the size of stimulation field 136 ordown to slightly decrease the size of stimulation field 136. In someembodiments, the actual voltage or current amplitude associated withstimulation field 136 is displayed on field view 122 as the fieldchanges.

When a user clicks on the field border and drags it, the entire fieldmay be expanded in two dimensions in equal proportions. Alternatively,the field may expand only in the direction in which the user drags thefield. For example, horizontal dragging of the field perimeter toenlarge the field may result in overall enlargement of the field,keeping the vertical to horizontal aspect ratio constant. Alternatively,horizontal dragging may result only in horizontal expansion, leaving thevertical dimension constant. The application of a constant or varyingaspect ratio may be specified by a user as a user preference.Alternatively, the programmer may provide different aspect ratio modeson a selective basis for expansion and shrinkage of the field.Programmer 19 may limit the rate of movement of stimulation field 136.In other words, stimulation field 136 may only be moved a certain numberof steps per second within user interface 136, or any other userinterface that allows the clinician to drag the stimulation field. Thisrate movement limit may prevent unnecessary calculations or ensurepatient comfort in real-time changing of stimulation parameters withmodifications of stimulation field 136.

The initial size of stimulation field 136 may be determined by a minimalthreshold voltage previously determined effective in brain 18. In otherembodiments, the initial stimulation field size may be small to allowthe clinician to safely increase the size of stimulation field 136. Thesize of stimulation field 136 may be limited by a volume parameter or amaximum voltage limit previously defined by user interface 90. The limitmay be associated with capabilities of IMD 20 or safe voltage or currentlevels. Once the size of stimulation field 136 is met, the clinician mayno longer be able to drag the size of the stimulation field away fromlead icon 124.

Stimulation field 136 may grow or split in size if the clinician selectsmore than one electrode level 128, 130, 132 or 134. For example, theclinician may select electrode levels 92 and 86 to generate stimulationfields associated with each electrode level. The clinician may also movestimulation field 136 along the length of lead icon 124 and userinterface may automatically select which electrode levels to activate toproduce the stimulation field on field view 122. The clinician may alsomove to other depths or slices of coronal view 122 with arrows 138 and140. The clinician may continue to adjust the stimulation therapy on anaxial view or other view by selecting view button 141 to cycle throughother orthogonal views.

FIG. 10 is an example screen shot of stimulation field adjustment on anaxial view of brain tissue. As shown in FIG. 10, user interface 90includes adjust view 146 and lead icon 148 (similar to lead icon 114).The size and location of stimulation field 152 on the axial view ofbrain tissue indicates the anatomical regions that would receiveelectrical stimulation. The user may use pointer 150 to drag theposition of stimulation field 152 and increase or decrease the size ofthe stimulation field.

Dragging stimulation field 152 away from the center of lead icon 148,e.g., offsetting or directing the stimulation field in a radialdirection from the lead icon, would require that the multiple electrodesof an electrode level have different voltage or current amplitudes. InFIG. 10, electrodes on the side of lead icon 148 with the greaterportion of stimulation field 152 must generate a greater voltage orcurrent amplitude than electrodes on the opposite side of lead icon 148.Limitations of electrode locations, voltage or current capabilities, orphysiological safe guards may limit the clinician of moving stimulationfield 152 to certain locations of adjust view 146. In some embodiments,the clinician may use pointer 150 to modify stimulation field 152 shapeto a non-circular shape such as an ellipse or curved field. In someembodiments, user interface 90 may present an error message to theclinician if stimulation field 152 cannot be supported by system 10.

The clinician moves stimulation field 152 in adjust view 146 to createthe most effective stimulation therapy program. The clinician uses theanatomical regions represented by user interface 90 to focus electricalstimulation to target anatomical regions and avoid side effects from thestimulation of surrounding tissue. Specifically, this trade-off betweenmaximum therapeutic effects and minimal side effects is how patient 12may evaluate the success of the stimulation therapy.

The clinician may continue to evaluate other electrode levels byselecting previous arrow 154 and returning to field view 122.Alternatively, the clinician may use arrows 154 and 156 to move to otheraxial depths and view other cross-sections of the volumetric stimulationfield partially defined by stimulation field 152. The clinician may alsoreturn to other views by selecting view button 157. Once the clinicianis satisfied with the orientation of the stimulation field, theclinician may press a “generate” or “apply” button on programmer 19 orprovided by user interface that causes programmer 19 to generate aprogram of the stimulation parameters necessary to produce thestimulation field in patient 12. The clinician may generate multipleprograms for patient 12 to evaluate during the course of therapy. Insome cases, patient 12 may prefer one program over another depending onthe activity of the patient. The programs are transmitted fromprogrammer 19 to IMD 20 for therapy to begin.

In some embodiments, adjust view 146 may include a control that allowsthe clinician to scroll through various axial depths of the anatomicalregions. In this manner, the clinician may identify the shape of thestimulation field at various locations along the longitudinal length oflead icon 124 of FIG. 9. In other embodiments, adjust view 146 mayinclude a depth chart to show the clinician where the 2D axial view isin relation to the lead icon 124. In systems that include more than onelead 14 implanted within patient 12, user interface 90 may provide leadrepresentations of two or more of the leads instead of just a singleside and cross-sectional view of one lead.

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram illustrating an example technique forimplanting a stimulation lead in a brain of a patient. As shown in FIG.11, patient 12 is imaged using an MRI or CT scanner. In particular,brain 18 is scanned to create the representation of anatomical regions(158). Either shortly after or several days later, patient 12 isprepared for surgery and implantation of lead 14 (160). Preparation mayinclude generating stereotactic information with a stereotactic frameattached to cranium 18. The implant site may also be precisely locatedand images of brain 18 reviewed to identify any abnormalities of brain18.

Once in surgery, the clinician creates a burr hole in cranium 16 ofpatient 12 (162). The clinician inserts lead 14 into brain 18 and placesthe lead near the target anatomical regions (164). The clinician nexttests if lead 14 is correctly placed in brain 18 (166). The clinicianmay use micro recordings or patient feedback to identify results fromsmall electrical stimulation of brain 18. If lead 14 is not correctlyplaced, the clinician may reposition lead 14 (164). If lead 14 iscorrectly placed in brain 18, the clinician secures lead 14 within brain18 and reattaches patient 12 scalp (168). The clinician may also tunnellead wire 24 to IMD 20 and implant the IMD.

In some embodiments, lead 14 may be implanted in a different manner. Forexample, lead 14 may be implanted with a robotic assistant using a mapof brain 18 to increase the accuracy of lead placement. In otherembodiments, more leads may be implanted within brain 18 for stimulationtherapy as well.

FIG. 12 is a flow diagram illustrating an example technique forpositioning a lead icon over anatomical regions of a patient. Moreparticularly, the clinician places lead icons 94, 104, 114 withinrespective views to correspond to the correct location of lead 14 withinbrain 18. The clinician enters the brain imaging data into userinterface 90 (170). The clinician selects the coronal view (172) anddrags lead icon 94 to the appropriate location within the coronal view(174). Next, the clinician selects the sagittal view (176) and dragslead icon 104 to the correct location within the anatomical regionsrepresented within the sagittal view (178).

The clinician next selects the axial view (180) and rotates the leadicon 114 to correctly orient the stripe of the lead icon within brain 18(182). Once lead icon 114 is correctly placed, the clinician proceeds todetermine the therapeutic configuration of the stimulation parameters(184). In other embodiments, lead icons 94, 104 and 114 may beautomatically placed in user interface 90 based on an image takenpost-implant, and the clinician may review the placement to look forplacement errors. The order of lead icon placement may be switched insome embodiments as well.

FIG. 13 is a flow diagram illustrating an example technique foradjusting the stimulation field for stimulation therapy. As shown inFIG. 13, the clinician begins by selecting an electrode level in fieldview 122 of user interface 90 (186). All electrodes, i.e., electrodes atdifferent angular positions around the lead circumference, in theelectrode level are active. The clinician adjusts the stimulation field136 size (188) and proceeds to test the stimulation field on patient 12to determine the therapeutic effect, if any (190). If there are moreelectrode levels to try (192), the clinician repeats this process byselecting another electrode level and testing it on patient 12.

If there are no more electrode levels to test, the clinician selects themost effective electrode level (194) and adjusts the stimulation fieldsize again in field view 122 (196). The clinician next drags thestimulation field in adjust view 146 to minimize side effects andmaximize the therapy (198). The clinician may return to field view 122and fine adjust the stimulation field (200). In some embodiments, theclinician may adjust the simulation field in any of sagittal, coronal,or axial field views as desired by the clinician. In other embodiments,user interface 90 may require that the clinician enters each of thesagittal, coronal, and axial field views at least once before adjustmentof the stimulation can be completed. Once the stimulation field isadjusted to produce effective therapy, the clinician saves the electrodeconfiguration and other stimulation parameters as a stimulation programand transmits the program to IMD 20 (202). In some embodiments, theclinician may repeat the programming procedure with user interface 90 tocreate multiple stimulation programs. The clinician may also reprogramthe therapy at any time.

Programmer 19 uses the information received via user interface 90 toautomatically generate stimulation parameters according to thestimulation field defined by the clinician. The user interfacedetermines the dimensions of the stimulation field to create a 3D vectorfield identifying the distances from lead 14 that stimulation may reach.Programmer 19 uses the 3D vector field with an equation approximatingelectrical current propagation within brain 18 tissue. The resultingdata determines the electrode combination, voltage and currentamplitudes, pulse rates, and pulse widths needed for reproducing thestimulation field within patient 12. In other embodiments, programmer 19interprets density of tissue in the imaging data to more preciselyapproximate the stimulation parameters.

FIGS. 14A-14F are conceptual diagrams illustrating different stimulationfields produced by combinations of electrodes from the complex electrodearray geometry. As shown in FIGS. 14A-14F, the potential stimulationfields along the length of lead 204 are shown, where lead 206 is anembodiment of lead 14. Stimulation fields are shown along only one sideof lead 206; however, similar stimulation fields may be produced betweenother electrodes around the circumference of lead 206. The stimulationfields may be similar to a stimulation template for that electrodeconfiguration, where a stimulation template is a predeterminedstimulation volume that is defined by a set of stimulation parameters.As mentioned previously, a stimulation template may be a volumetricstimulation field defined by stimulation parameters. Programmer 19 mayinclude a certain number of stimulation templates that are used toautomatically generate stimulation parameters that best fit a userdefined stimulation field. In addition to the stimulation fields shownwith lead 206, reversing the polarity of the electrodes that produceeach stimulation field may result in a similar stimulation field, buthave a different therapeutic effect on patient 12.

FIG. 14A illustrates electrode configuration 204 providing onestimulation field 210 that is formed from designating electrode 208A asthe anode and electrode 208C as the cathode. Stimulation field 210 couldbe similarly produced by any other adjacent electrode pair, such aselectrodes 208A and 208B. FIG. 14B illustrates electrode configuration205 that includes stimulation fields 212 and 214. Stimulation field 212is produced by electrode 208A as an anode and electrode 208B as acathode. Stimulation field 214 is produced by electrode 208C as acathode and electrode 208D as an anode. Electrode configuration 205 maybe used when different structures of the anatomical region are desiredto be stimulated.

FIGS. 14C and 14D illustrate larger stimulation fields that are producedfrom overlapping smaller stimulation fields. FIG. 14C presents electrodeconfiguration 207 that includes stimulation fields 216 and 218.Stimulation fields 16 and 17 are created by anode electrode 208B andcathode electrodes 208A and 208C. FIG. 14D presents electrodeconfiguration 209 that includes stimulation fields 220, 222 and 224.Stimulation field 220 is produced by electrodes 208A and 208B,stimulation field 222 is produced by electrodes 208B and 208C, andstimulation field 224 is produced by electrodes 208C and 208D. Polarityof collective electrodes 208 may be altered while maintaining thestimulation fields of electrode configuration 209.

FIGS. 14E and 14F provide examples of stimulation fields that span overinactivated electrodes. FIG. 14E illustrates electrode configuration 211of electrodes 208A and 208C that produce stimulation field 226.Stimulation field 226 covers electrode 208B without activating theelectrode. Activating electrode 208B as an anode or cathode may affectthe shape of stimulation field 226. FIG. 14F illustrates electrodeconfiguration 213 of active electrodes 208A and 208B. Stimulation field228 overlaps inactive electrodes 208B and 208C. The polarity of eitherelectrode configurations 211 or 213 may be changed without modifying theshape of the corresponding stimulation field; however, the tissuetreated by these stimulation fields may be affected differently.

FIGS. 15A-15D are conceptual diagrams illustrating possiblecross-sections of stimulation templates for electrodes of two adjacentlevels of a complex electrode array geometry. A stimulation template isa predetermined volumetric stimulation field that programmer 19 can useto match to a desired stimulation field from the clinician. Eachstimulation template may be based upon any one or combination of modeleddata, experimental data, or analytical calculations prior to beingstored in programmer 19. Cross-sections of example stimulation templatesare provided to illustrate possible fields around the circumference ofimplanted lead 14. FIGS. 15A-15D illustrate possible cross-sections ofstimulation templates of an electrode of one electrode level paired toanother electrode at another electrode level at the same circumferentialposition. Even through only cross-sections of stimulation templates areshown, they will be referred to as a stimulation template forsimplicity. When creating a stimulation template set to providestimulation therapy, system 10 may use such stimulation templates tocreate the stimulation template set. If only one electrode template ischosen, at least one other electrode above or below the selectedelectrode must also be used to create the stimulation template. In otherembodiments, similar stimulation templates may be created for complexelectrode array geometries having more or less than four electrodes in agiven electrode level. The stimulation template may not indicate theexact shape of the resulting stimulation field, as the tissue adjacentto the electrode may affect the propagation of the electricalstimulation. In alternative embodiments, programmer 19 may only storeone volumetric stimulation template per electrode combination and scaleeach template as needed to the size of the stimulation field. In otherwords, programmer 19 may adjust the current or voltage amplitude toincrease or decrease the volumetric stimulation template to best fit thestimulation field.

While generally bipolar electrode combinations are described herein,volumetric stimulation templates may include unipolar electrodes.Unipolar electrodes may be anodes or cathodes that are combined with anelectrode to complete the circuit that is located on the housing ofstimulator 12 or some other location not on lead 14. Unipolar electrodesmay allow for increased flexibility in programming effective therapy.

FIG. 15A shows electrode 232 and corresponding cross-section ofidealized stimulation field 234 that is included in template 230. FIG.15B shows electrode 238 and corresponding cross-section of idealizedstimulation field 240 that is included in stimulation template 236. FIG.15C includes stimulation template 242 which includes electrode 244 andcorresponding cross-section of idealized stimulation field 246 adjacentto the electrode. FIG. 15D indicates that stimulation template 248includes electrode 250 and corresponding cross-section of idealizedstimulation field 252. The actual shape of each stimulation template mayvary depending upon the surrounding tissue to the implanted lead.However, system 10 may use the idealized stimulation templates asapproximate stimulation templates for the purpose of matching the besttemplate to the user defined stimulation field. For all stimulationtemplates, system 10 may be able to adjust the current amplitude orvoltage amplitude to alter the size of the stimulation field provided bythe stimulation template to cover the desired stimulation fieldidentified by the clinician. In addition, system 10 may combine any ofthe stimulation templates 230, 236, 242 and 248 to stimulate tissue atcertain locations around the lead. In some embodiments, polarity of anelectrode of a stimulation template may be changed to accommodate thecombine stimulation templates, or stimulation template set.

FIG. 16 is a flow diagram illustrating an example technique for creatinga template set from volumetric stimulation templates stored inprogrammer 19. As shown in FIG. 16, system 10 may use stimulationtemplates stored within programmer 19 to create a stimulation templateset that defines the stimulation therapy for patient 12. Once programmer19 has received stimulation field input from the clinician, processor 80of programmer 19 retrieves volumetric stimulation templates from memory82 that best correlate to the stimulation field input from the clinician(254). Each stimulation template may be stored as a volumetricstimulation template and compared to the stimulation field input byprocessor 80. In some cases, processor 80 may use an iterative processto find the best one or more stimulation templates that fit thestimulation field input, e.g., step-by-step narrowing of templatesaccording to most important variables first and less important variablesnext. In other embodiments, processor 80 may use a point field in whicheach template is labeled with the points the template includes. Thetemplate, or templates, with points most closely matching thestimulation field input may be selected. Storing volumetric stimulationtemplates may effectively reduce the time needed to find a stimulationtemplate by limiting possible templates to only those capable of beingcreated by the complex electrode array geometry. If template smallsections or 2D slices were employed, constructing a viable volumetrictemplate that can be produced by the complex electrode array geometrymay be time consuming or computation intensive.

If the clinician has loaded patient anatomy data for the anatomicalregion (256), processor 80 receives the patient anatomy data and dataindicating the location of the one or more leads implanted within brain18 (258). The patient anatomy data may be information created by animaging modality such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computedtomography (CT), or positron emission tomography (PET). The patientanatomy set may be used as a “map” of the patient anatomical structure.The location of the lead may be determined by stereotactic techniques ora post-implant image of the lead with respect to the anatomy. Processor80 next correlates the patient anatomy data to the lead location inorder to create a single coordinate system (260). Next, processor 80slices the volumetric stimulation template to create a cross-sectionthat can be displayed in accordance with the stimulation field inputfrom the clinician (262). If there is no patient anatomy data (256),processor 80 proceeds directly to slice the volumetric stimulationtemplate as needed. Since the patient anatomy data set may only be usedto display the stimulation field and template over the anatomical regionof the patient, some embodiments may display the template andstimulation field without the patient anatomy data.

Processor 80 next determines if the anatomical region should bedisplayed on user interface 84. If there is no anatomical region to bedisplayed, processor 80 will directly add the necessary stimulationtemplates, if there are more than one needed, to create the “best fit”stimulation template set to treat patient 12, e.g., the stimulationtemplate set that best matches the desired stimulation field asindicated by the clinician. If the anatomical region is to be displayedto the clinician, processor 80 maps the stimulation templates to thepatient anatomical region (266) and adds the templates together tocreate the stimulation template set (268). Processor 80 presents thestimulation template set to the user for review and verification (270).If there is an anatomical region to display to the clinician in additionto the stimulation template set, user interface 84 will display thestimulation template set over the associated areas of the anatomicalregion.

Each stimulation template may be stored as a set of equations thatgovern the template. For example, variables of the template equationsmay be stimulation parameters such as voltage amplitude, currentamplitude, pulse rate, pulse width, or frequency. A clinician may changeproposed stimulation parameters by modifying the stimulation field inputor directly change the size of the stimulation template on userinterface 84. Changes in the stimulation field input will affect thesize or selection of the stimulation template set, and changes in thesize of the stimulation template will affect the stimulation parameters.Other variables may include physical parameters such as electrode size,shape, and curvature. In less complicated embodiments, each electrodemay have a predefined number of possible templates that are defined bypredetermined stimulation parameters. In this manner, processor 80selects the template that best fits defined stimulation field from theclinician, compiles each template, and creates the stimulation templateset. In some embodiments, system 10 may store and process stimulationtemplates differently. For example, the clinician may even search memory82 for possible templates to manually create a stimulation template setor adjust a previously created stimulation template set.

FIGS. 17A and 17B are conceptual diagrams illustrating a template setthat does not target any tissue outside of a defined stimulation area.As shown in FIG. 17A, the clinician has defined stimulation field 276 inrelation to one level of lead 274 in view 272. Stimulation field 276outlines the area of an anatomical region (not shown) that the cliniciandesires to stimulate. FIG. 17B illustrates stimulation template set 288in view 278 that processor 80 creates according to stimulation field276. In the example of FIG. 17B, the processor creates the stimulationtemplate set with the highest priority of not affecting areas of theanatomical region outside of stimulation field 276. The next highestpriority for processor 80 is to create a stimulation template set 288that affects as much of the area within the stimulation field area aspossible. Template set 288 is created by an anode electrode 282 andcathode electrode 284 of lead 274. While a larger template set 288 maybe able to stimulate more of the area within stimulation field 286, theadditional stimulated tissue may cause unwanted side effects to patient12. The clinician may use the similar process for each level of lead 274to treat other areas of the anatomical region along the length of thelead. In some embodiments, the priorities of when to avoid non-targettissue, cover non-target tissue, or some combination of covered targetand non-target tissue may be variable based upon the type of stimulationtherapy or user adjustable.

FIGS. 18A and 18B are conceptual diagrams illustrating a template setthat targets all tissue within a defined stimulation area. As shown inFIG. 18A, the clinician has defined stimulation field 294 in relation toone level of lead 292 in view 290. Stimulation field 294 outlines thearea of an anatomical region (not shown) that the clinician desires tostimulate. FIG. 18B illustrates stimulation templates 310 and 312 thatprocessor 80 creates according to stimulation field 294. In the exampleof FIG. 17B, the processor creates the stimulation template set with thehighest priority of stimulating all tissue areas within stimulationfield 308. Next, processor 80 attempts to stimulate the least amount oftissue outside of stimulation field 308. This method of creatingtemplate sets may cause side effects to patient 12 with the benefit ofpossibly treating the entire patient condition. Template 310 is createdby an anode electrode 302 and cathode electrode 304 of lead 298.Template 312 is created by an anode electrode 306 and cathode electrode308 of lead 298. Templates 310 and 312 together create the stimulationtemplate set for therapy, but only a cross-section of the volumetricstimulation template is displayed. In addition, templates 310 and 312are only idealized estimations of the actual stimulation field producedwithin patient 12. However, this estimation may be adequate to aid theclinician in programming the stimulation therapy of a complex electrodearray geometry. The clinician may use the similar process for each levelof lead 292 or 298 to treat other areas of the anatomical region alongthe length of the lead.

FIGS. 19-22 are illustrative of another embodiment of this disclosureintended to allow physicians to focus on patient anatomy. FIGS. 19-22may generate stimulation parameters according to predeterminedstimulation equations, stored stimulation templates, or another methodof generating parameters based upon the defined stimulation field. FIG.19 is an example screen shot of an outline of a stimulation field placedon a coronal view of brain tissue. As shown in FIG. 19, user interface314 is displayed on programmer 316, which may be substantially similarto programmer 19 described above with reference to FIG. 5. Userinterface 314 includes coronal view 318 of brain 18. Also shown oncoronal view 318 are pointer 330, stimulation field 328, previous arrow320, next arrow 322, menu 324, and view indicator 326. Stimulation field328 is a cross-sectional view of volumetric stimulation field, which isfurther defined in other orthogonal views. Coronal view 318 is a 2Dslice of a 3D image of brain 18. White areas indicate dense neuronaltissue while dark areas indicate generally fluid filled area, where thefluid is CSF.

The clinician begins by examining the anatomical regions displayed incoronal view 318. The clinician identifies the target anatomical regionsthat should be stimulated to treat patient 12. In the example ofParkinson's disease, the clinician identifies the SN and otherstructures of brain 18. The clinician moves pointer 330 to create anoutline defining the outer edges of the stimulation field. While arepresentation of lead 14 is not shown on coronal view 318, otherembodiments may show a lead icon for a starting point.

The clinician may zoom in or out of an area of coronal view 318. Inaddition, the clinician may move coronal view right, left, up or down toisolated areas of interest. Zoom may be of interest to the clinicianwhen outlining the target anatomical region in order to fine tune theresulting stimulation field. Programmer may set limit boundaries to theoutline that the clinician may generate. These limit boundaries may beshown on coronal view 318. In some embodiments, user interface 314 mayallow the clinician to move up or down to view cross-section coronalviews in other depths of brain 18 using arrows 320 and 322. Thismovement through 2D slices may allow the clinician to identify each areaof stimulation field 328 throughout the 3D stimulation field representedby user interface 314.

The clinician may select menu 324 to view or change preferences of userinterface 314. For example, preferences may be appearance preferencessuch as brightness or contrast of the display of programmer 316.Alternatively, the clinician may select the manner in which programmer316 determines the stimulation parameters based upon stimulation field330 when the clinician has completed defining the stimulation field andstimulation parameters can be generated. Pressing menu 324 may bring upa pop-up window that includes the menu choices for the clinician. Viewindicator 326 allows the user to change to a different 2D view of theanatomical region, such as sagittal or axial views. “Coronal” ishighlighted to indicate that the current view is a coronal section ofbrain 18. Previous arrow 320 and next arrow 322 may allow the clinicianto move between slices of adjacent depths of brain 18 and thestimulation field 328 in relation to the anatomical region of the otherdepths.

In some embodiments, user interface 314 may include a wand tool, e.g., avirtual automatic selection based upon one selected point, that theclinician can use to select an area. Then, all pixels of that same shadeof color may be outlined or highlighted. In this manner, the physicianmay select all anatomical regions of the same density which may beindicative of an entire target region. The clinician may define therange of pixel shade, e.g., allowable variability in tissue density,with one selection. The clinician may then modify the automaticallyselected area to provide greater flexibility in stimulation fieldselection. Alternatively, the clinician may manually modify the outlinedarea after using the wand tool.

The benefit to the clinician outlining desired areas includes allowingthe clinician to focus on the anatomy and physiology of patient 12instead of manipulating an implanted device. The clinician is an expertat understanding the anatomy and physiology of patient 12, but may notbe as adept at understanding then the effect of different combinationsof stimulation parameters on the stimulation delivered by an IMD.Consequently, automatically generating stimulation parameters accordingto the desired stimulation area may increase therapy efficacy anddecrease programming time.

In other embodiments, user interface 314 may allow the clinician to usea stylus or finger on a touch screen to define the stimulation field andoutline. In alternative embodiments, user interface 314 may identify andlabel certain anatomical regions to help guide the clinician in quicklyorienting the stimulation field to brain 18 of patient 12.

FIG. 20 is an example screen shot of an outline of a stimulation fieldplaced on a sagittal view of brain tissue. Since the defined stimulationfield is three dimensional, the clinician must outline the stimulationfield on three 2D views, rather than just the coronal view of FIG. 19.As shown in FIG. 20, the clinician uses pointer 344 to createstimulation field 342 within sagittal view 332 of user interface 314.Stimulation field 342 defines the structures of the anatomical regionthat the clinician desires to stimulate. Stimulation field 342 is also across-sectional view of volumetric stimulation field, which is furtherdefined by other orthogonal views, such as the cross-section stimulationfield 328 of coronal view 318. Previous arrow 334 and next arrow 336 maybe used to move to other slices of the sagittal plane of the anatomicalregion, while menu 338 may be selected and used similar to menu 324.View indicator 340 also highlights the word “Sagittal” to remind theclinician which plane of the anatomical region the clinician is viewing.Similar to FIG. 19, the clinician may zoom in and out of sagittal view332 and move the view to display different areas within the currentslice of the sagittal plane. Additionally, the clinician may use a wandtool to select a range of pixel shades to quickly select anatomicalregions that will be included in the stimulation field.

FIG. 21 is an example screen shot of an outline of a stimulation fieldplaced on an axial view of brain tissue. As shown in FIG. 21, userinterface 314 is provided by programmer 316 and includes axial view 346that displays pointer 358, stimulation field 356, previous arrow 348 andnext arrow 350. Simulation field 356 is a cross-section of thevolumetric stimulation field defined in views 318 and 322. Userinterface 314 also includes view indicator 354. Similar to coronal view318 and sagittal view 332, the clinician uses pointer 358 to create anoutline of stimulation field 356 around target structures of theanatomical region.

The clinician may make adjustments to stimulation field 356 in axialview 346 or using previous arrow 348 and next arrow 350 to step up ordown in axial slices of brain 18. The clinician may also go back andforth between views 318, 332 and 346 to make fine adjustments to thestimulation field defined by the outlines in the three orthogonal views.Similar to FIGS. 19 and 21, the clinician may zoom in and out of axialview 346, as well as move the view to the right, left, up and down ofthe anatomical region. The clinician may also use a wand tool to selectsimilar pixels in the same area.

Once all stimulation fields 328, 342 and 356 are complete, the clinicianmay have programmer 316 automatically generate stimulation parametersassociated to the 3D stimulation field defined by stimulation fields328, 342 and 356. The clinician may test the stimulation field onpatient 12 and adjust the stimulation parameters, if necessary. In otherembodiments, stimulation fields 328, 342 and 356 are not all definedfrom separate outlines. For example, once stimulation field 328 isdefined, programmer 316 may display a line that indicates the differentorthogonal view to aid the clinician in creating stimulation field 342,both of which are cross-sections of the volumetric stimulation fieldactually produced in therapy. Alternatively, programmer 316 may usestimulation field 328 to estimate an initial volumetric stimulationfield which determines the starting point for stimulation field 342 thatthe clinician modifies. In any case, the order in which the clinicianaccesses views 318, 332, and 346 to create stimulation fields 328, 342,and 356 may be changed by the clinician or alternative instructionsstored in memory 82 programmer 316.

User interface 314 may include limits to the shape and size of theoutline from the clinician. In some embodiments, processor 80 may usestimulation templates to generate the stimulation parameters requestedby the stimulation field, as described previously. In other embodiments,stimulation parameter equations may be used to determine the appropriatestimulation parameters that will satisfy the stimulation field. In thecase where stimulation parameters cannot create an identical match tothe defined stimulation field, user interface 314 may provide a percentunder or over indication to the clinician that indicates the error ofthe best fit stimulation field. User interface 314 allows the clinicianto focus on structures of the anatomical region without worrying aboutthe exact position of lead 14 within brain 18. Processor 80 will comparethe position of the stimulation field to the actual lead position. Ifthe defined stimulation field cannot be satisfied because it is out ofrange of lead 14, a warning message may be delivered to the clinicianvia user interface 314. Otherwise, processor 80 will determineparameters for delivery of stimulation via lead 14 that willapproximately result in the stimulation field defined by the clinicianusing the user interface.

FIG. 22 is a flow diagram illustrating an example technique for defininga 3D stimulation field over an anatomical region without reference to animplanted lead. While user interface 314 does not provide a lead icon tothe user when defining the stimulation field, other embodiments mayprovide the lead icon as a reference to the origination of stimulationtherapy. As shown in FIG. 22, the clinician begins programming byselecting coronal view 318 (360) and outlining a 2D cross-section of thestimulation field in the coronal view (362). Next, the clinician selectssagittal view 332 (364) and outlines the 2D cross-section of thestimulation field in that view (366). The clinician continues to definethe stimulation field by selecting axial view 346 (368) and outliningthe 2D cross-section of the stimulation field in that view (370). Theclinician instructs programmer 19 to automatically generate stimulationparameters corresponding to the 3D stimulation field defined by the 2Dstimulation fields drawn in each of the three views, and the programmertransmits the parameters to IMD 20 (372).

The clinician delivers test stimulation with the generated stimulationparameters (374). If the clinician desires to adjust the stimulationtherapy (376), the clinician repeats the process by selecting coronalview 318 (360). If the stimulation does not need to be adjusted, theclinician finalizes the stimulation therapy and sets IMD 20 to continuestimulation therapy (378).

In some embodiments, the clinician may continue to generate morestimulation fields to produce multiple stimulation programs for patient12 to evaluate at home. Since programming may become easier thanmanually selecting parameters, using user interface 314 may allow theclinician to spend more time producing multiple therapy programs.

FIGS. 23-27 are illustrative of another embodiment of this disclosureintended to allow physicians to define a stimulation field with respectto a lead icon within the anatomical region. FIG. 23 is an examplescreen shot of an outline of a stimulation field placed around a leadicon on a coronal view of brain tissue. As shown in FIG. 23, userinterface 380 is displayed on programmer 382, which may be substantiallysimilar to programmer 19. User interface 380 includes coronal view 384of brain 18. Also shown on coronal view 384 are pointer 394, lead icon396, stimulation field 398, previous arrow 386, next arrow 388, menu390, and view indicator 392. Stimulation field 384 is a cross-section ofa volumetric stimulation field further defined in other sagittal andaxial orthogonal views. Coronal view 384 is a 2D slice of a 3D image ofbrain 18. White areas indicate dense neuronal tissue while dark areasindicate generally fluid filled area, where the fluid is CSF.

The clinician begins by examining the anatomical regions displayed incoronal view 384. The clinician identifies the target anatomical regionsthat should be stimulated to treat patient 12. In the example ofParkinson's disease, the clinician identifies the SN and otherstructures of brain 18. The clinician moves pointer 394 to create anoutline defining the outer edges of the stimulation field 398. Lead icon396 is a representation of lead 14. Lead icon 396 location may bedetermined by the clinician moving the lead icon to the appropriateplace according to the implantation in the manner discussed above.However, lead icon 396 may be automatically placed if the anatomicalregion is imaged with the lead implanted, as also discussed above.

The clinician uses pointer 394 to create the outline of stimulationfield 398, using lead icon 396 and the anatomical region as guidelines.The clinician may use lead icon 396 to define stimulation field 398 tocorrespond to the location of the electrodes of the lead icon. In thismanner, the clinician may be able to stimulate the appropriatestructures of the anatomical region and use desired electrode levels todo so. In some embodiments, lead icon 396 may only show the location oflead 14 and not provide the electrode level details of lead icon 396.

The clinician may zoom in or out of an area of coronal view 384. Inaddition, the clinician may move coronal view right, left, up or down toisolated areas of interest within the plane. Zoom may be of interest tothe clinician when outlining the target anatomical region in order tofine tune the resulting stimulation field. Programmer 80 may set limitboundaries to the outline that the clinician may generate. These limitboundaries may be shown on coronal view 384. In some embodiments, userinterface 380 may allow the clinician to move up or down to viewcross-section coronal views in other depths of brain 18 with arrows 386and 388. This movement through 2D slices may allow the clinician toidentify each area of stimulation field 398 throughout the 3Dstimulation field represented by user interface 380.

The clinician may select menu 390 to perform any of the operationsdiscussed above with respect to menus 324, 338, or 352 of user interface314. View indicator 392 allows the user to change to a different 2D viewof the anatomical region, such as sagittal or axial views. “Coronal” ishighlighted to indicate that the current view is a coronal section ofbrain 18. Previous arrow 386 and next arrow 388 may allow the clinicianto move between slices of adjacent depths of brain 18 and thestimulation field 398 in relation to the anatomical region of the otherdepths.

In some embodiments, user interface 380 may include a wand tool that theclinician can use to select an area. Then, all pixels of that same shadeof color are outlined or highlighted. In this manner, the physician mayselect all anatomical regions of the same density which may beindicative of an entire target region. The clinician may define therange of pixels selected at one click. In addition, the clinician maymanually modify the outlined area after using the wand tool.

The benefit to the clinician outlining desired areas includes allowingthe clinician to focus on the anatomy and physiology of patient 12instead of manipulating an implanted device. In other embodiments, userinterface 380 may allow the clinician to use a stylus or finger on atouch screen to define the stimulation field and outline. In alternativeembodiments, user interface 380 may identify and label certainanatomical regions to help guide the clinician in quickly orienting thestimulation field to brain 18 of patient 12.

FIG. 24 is an example screen shot of an outline of a stimulation fieldplaced around a lead icon on a sagittal view of brain tissue. Since thedefined stimulation field is three dimensional, the clinician mustoutline the stimulation field on three 2D views, rather than just thecoronal view 384 of FIG. 23. As shown in FIG. 24, the clinician usespointer 410 to create stimulation field 414 around lead icon 412 withinsagittal view 400 of user interface 380. Stimulation field 414encompasses the structures of the anatomical region that the cliniciandesires to stimulate and is a cross-section of the volumetricstimulation field defined by cross-sectional stimulation fields 398 and430 in other orthogonal views. In some embodiments, programmer 382 maydisplay a dotted line to indicate to the clinician where the previouscross-section stimulation field 398 was defined. In other embodiments,programmer 382 estimates the volumetric stimulation field from only onecross-section, e.g., stimulation field 398, and presents the estimationto the clinician as stimulation field 414 which the clinician may alteras desired. Previous arrow 402 and next arrow 404 may be used to movewithin other slices of the sagittal place of the anatomical region,while menu 406 may be selected and used similar to menu 390. Viewindicator 408 also highlights the word “Sagittal” to remind theclinician which plane of the anatomical region the clinician is viewing.Similar to FIG. 23, the clinician may zoom in and out of sagittal view400 and move the view around the display. Additionally, the clinicianmay use a wand tool to select a range of pixel shades to quickly selectanatomical regions that will be included in the stimulation field.

Similar to FIG. 23, lead icon 412 is a representation of lead 14. Leadicon 412 location may be determined by the clinician moving the leadicon to the appropriate place according to the implantation. Inaddition, the clinician may rotate lead icon 412 to correctly positionthe lead icon within the anatomical region. However, lead icon 396 maybe automatically placed if the anatomical region is imaged with the leadimplanted.

FIG. 25 is an example screen shot of an outline of a stimulation fieldplaced around a lead icon on an axial view of brain tissue. As shown inFIG. 25, user interface 380 is provided by programmer 382 and includesaxial view 416 that displays pointer 426, stimulation field 430,previous arrow 418 and next arrow 420. Stimulation field 430 is across-section of the volumetric stimulation field defined in coronal andsagittal views 384 and 400. User interface 380 also includes viewindicator 424. Similar to coronal view 384 and sagittal view 400, theclinician uses pointer 426 to create an outline of stimulation field 430around target structures of the anatomical region and lead icon 428.Similar to FIGS. 23 and 24, lead icon 428 is placed in the correctposition within the anatomical region according to the implanted lead 14position. While lead icon 428 indicates that lead 14 is positionedorthogonal to axial view 416, the actual position of lead 14 may betilted.

The clinician may make adjustments to stimulation field 430 in axialview 416 or using previous arrow 418 and next arrow 420 to step up ordown in axial slices of brain 18. The clinician may also go back andforth between views 384, 400 and 416 to make fine adjustments to thestimulation field defined by the one or more outlines in each of thethree orthogonal views. Similar to FIGS. 23 and 24, the clinician mayzoom in and out of axial view 416, as well as move the view to theright, left, up and down of the anatomical region. The clinician mayalso use a wand tool to select similar pixels in the same area.

Once all stimulation fields 398, 414 and 430 are complete, the clinicianmay have user interface 380 automatically generate stimulationparameters associated to the 3D stimulation field defined by stimulationfields 398, 414 and 430. The clinician may test the stimulation field onpatient 12 and adjust the stimulation accordingly. Programmer 382 mayprovide limits to the shape and size of the outline from the clinician.In some embodiments, processor 80 may use stimulation templates togenerate the stimulation parameters required to approximately reproducethe defined stimulation field, as described previously. In otherembodiments, stimulation parameter equations may be used to determinethe appropriate stimulation parameters that will satisfy the defined 3Dstimulation field.

FIG. 26 is an example screen shot of an outline of a stimulation fieldplaced away from a lead icon on a sagittal view of brain tissue. Asshown in FIG. 26, user interface 380 presents sagittal view 432 to theclinician with programmer 382. Similar to FIG. 24, previous arrow 434,next arrow 436, menu 438, and view indicator 440 are also provided tothe clinician. Lead icon 444 represents the correct location of lead 14implanted within patient 12. Using pointer 442, the clinician hasoutlined cross-sectional stimulation field 446 to cover the desiredstructures of the anatomical region. However, stimulation field 446 andthe corresponding volumetric stimulation field does not overlap with anyportion of lead icon 444. Therefore, any stimulation therapy will affecttissue outside of stimulation field 446 between the stimulation fieldand implanted lead 14. The clinician may be able to program the therapyin this manner, depending on the preferences stored within memory 82 ofprogrammer 382. FIG. 27 indicates what may happen if a clinician createsa stimulation field such as stimulation field 446.

FIG. 27 is an example screen shot of a warning message regarding thebest template set available for a stimulation field on a sagittal viewof brain tissue. As shown in FIG. 27, user interface 380 providessagittal view 448 on programmer 382. In this embodiment, system 10 usesstimulation templates to automatically generate stimulation parametersaccording to the stimulation field. However, according to FIG. 26, theclinician has defined a stimulation field 446 that does not overlap withlead icon 444. Therefore, warning box 450 is presented to the clinician.Warning box 450 indicates that the best fit stimulation template setwill affect tissue of patient 12 that resides outside of the definedstimulation area 446. The clinician may select cancel button 452 toremove stimulation field 446 and re-define a stimulation field.Alternatively, the clinician may select keep button 454 to disregard thewarning and proceed with the currently defined stimulation area 446.

In some embodiments, a similar message may be presented to the clinicianwithout the use of stimulation templates, i.e., in embodiments in whichstimulation parameters are automatically generated from the stimulationfield defined by the clinician using any of the techniques describedherein. In other embodiments, warning box 450 may provide a selection tothe clinician that allows programmer 382 to suggest an alternativestimulation field that incorporates the currently selected stimulationfield and areas adjacent to the lead. Warning box 450 may also beapplied to user interface 314 of FIGS. 19-21.

FIGS. 28-32 illustrate user interfaces which provide 2D views of ananatomical region overlaid with a stimulation field and correspondingbest fit stimulation template set. FIG. 28 is an example screen shot ofan outline of a stimulation field and corresponding template set on acoronal view of brain tissue. Programmer 458 presents coronal view 460of an anatomical region of brain 18 to the clinician via user interface456. Programmer 458 may be substantially similar to programmer 19. Userinterface 456 also includes previous arrow 462, next arrow 464, menu466, view indicator 468, and voltage slider 470. Lead icon 474represents the location of lead 14 implanted within patient 12. Theclinician uses pointer 472 to define stimulation field 476. Programmer458 creates a stimulation template set 478 that best fits stimulationfield 496. Stimulation field 476 and stimulation template set 478 areeach cross-sectional views of a volumetric stimulation field and avolumetric stimulation template, respectively. After the clinician hasonly defined one cross-section of the volumetric stimulation field,programmer 458 may estimate the volume and modify the estimation withfurther input from the clinician in other orthogonal views.

In the example of FIGS. 28-30, stimulation template sets are selected byprogrammer 458, e.g., processor 80, to best fit the stimulation field,such as stimulation field 476. Processor 80 is governed by instructionsstored in memory 82 which may indicate that a stimulation template setshould cover as much area within stimulation field 476 without affectingany area of the anatomical region outside of the stimulation field. Inthis manner, all portions of a desired structure may not be treated bythe electrical stimulation. However, unwanted side effects that couldoccur from stimulation affecting areas outside of stimulation field 476may be less likely. As discussed above, in other examples, processor 80may be governed by instructions stored in memory 82 that define how thestimulation template set must correlate to the stimulation field. Insome cases, the instructions may cause the processor to select astimulation template set that covers as much of the stimulation fieldwithout covering tissue outside of the stimulation area. In other cases,the instructions may cause processor 80 to select a stimulation templateset that at least covers all of the stimulation field.

Voltage slider 470 may be used by the clinician to increase or decreasethe overall size of stimulation field 476 from the origin of lead icon474. Voltage slider 470 is an analog adjustment mechanism and may alsobe in the form of an adjustment knob instead of the slider. As the sizeof stimulation field 476 changes, the resulting best fit stimulationtemplate set 478 may change, e.g., processor 80 may create a betterfitting template set. In other embodiments, a new stimulation templateset that fits the changes stimulation field 476 may only be provided ifthe user enters menu 466 to request programmer 458 try to identify a newstimulation template set. In addition, the clinician may view othercoronal slices of the anatomical region by selecting previous button 462or next button 464 that move to a different depth of the anatomicalregion. In some embodiments, programmer 458 may extrapolate stimulationfield 476 and stimulation template 478 into other coronal slices of theanatomical regions if the clinician changes the slice. In otherembodiments, lead icon 474 may be present in other slices, butstimulation field 476, stimulation template 468, or both, may not bepresent until the clinician defines the stimulation in at least one moreorthogonal view so that programmer 458 can generate the volumetricstimulation field and template.

FIG. 29 is an example screen shot of an outline of a stimulation fieldand corresponding template set on a sagittal view of brain tissue. Asshown in FIG. 29, user interface 456 presents sagittal view 480 of ananatomical region of brain 18 to the clinician via programmer 458. Userinterface 456 also includes previous arrow 482, next arrow 484, menu486, view indicator 488, and voltage slider 490. Lead icon 494represents the location of lead 14 implanted within patient 12. Theclinician uses pointer 492 to outline and define stimulation field 496.Stimulation field 496 is a cross-section of a volumetric stimulationfield defined by multiple orthogonal views. Programmer 458 continues todisplay the sagittal view of template 478 if that template remains thebest fit to stimulation field 498. Otherwise, programmer 458 willgenerate a new stimulation template set that is a best fit for thevolumetric stimulation field defined by stimulation fields 476 and 496.In some embodiments, the clinician may reference stimulation field 476from coronal view 460 by a dotted line indicating the orthogonal 2Dstimulation field 476. In other embodiments, stimulation field 496 mayalready be present in sagittal view 480 if programmer 458 estimates thevolumetric stimulation field based upon the input in FIG. 28. In thiscase, the clinician may simply adjust the presented stimulation field tocreate stimulation field 496 as shown. These processes of defining thevolumetric stimulation field may be used when viewing coronal, sagittal,and axial views in any order, not only the example order describedherein.

The clinician may change the size of stimulation field 496 using voltageslider 490. Voltage slider 490 is an analog adjustment mechanism and mayalso be in the form of an adjustment knob instead of the slider. Themodified stimulation field 496 size may accommodate a differentstimulation template set 498 that best fits the defined stimulationfield. In addition, the clinician may move stimulation field 496 withpointer 492 to another location in sagittal view 480. As in FIG. 28, theclinician may view different depth slices of the anatomical region byselecting previous arrow 482 or next arrow 484.

FIG. 30 is an example screen shot of an outline of a stimulation fieldand corresponding template set on an axial view of brain tissue. Asshown in FIG. 29, user interface 456 presents axial view 500 of ananatomical region of brain 18 to the clinician via programmer 458. Userinterface 456 also includes previous arrow 502, next arrow 504, menu506, view indicator 508, and voltage slider 510. Lead icon 514represents the location of lead 14 implanted within patient 12.Stimulation field 516 is already displayed on axial view 500 and is across-section of the volumetric stimulation field defined by stimulationfields 476 and 496 of FIGS. 28 and 29, if they are defined first.However, the clinician may use pointer 512 to alter the shape or size ofstimulation field 516. Programmer 458 creates a stimulation template set518 that best fits stimulation field 516. In other embodiments, theclinician may have selected to begin defining the volumetric stimulationfield in axial view 500; therefore, there stimulation field 516 may notbe already displayed on the axial view.

The clinician may change the size of stimulation field 516 using voltageslider 510. Voltage slider 510 is an analog adjustment mechanism and mayalso be in the form of an adjustment knob instead of the slider. Themodified stimulation field 516 size may accommodate a differentstimulation template set 518 that best fits the defined stimulationfield. In addition, the clinician may move stimulation field 516 withpointer 512 to another location in axial view 500. As in FIG. 28, theclinician may view different depth slices of the anatomical region byselecting previous arrow 502 or next arrow 504.

FIG. 31 is an example screen shot of a menu window for template setsover a sagittal view of brain tissue. User interface 456 includes menubox 524, which may be accessed from menu 522, which may be substantiallysimilar to any of menus 466, 486 or 506. Menus 466, 486 and 506 havesimilar functionality, and are numbered differently to reflect that theyare present in different views of user interface 456. Menu box 524provides options for the clinician such as accept button 526, repositionbutton 528, modify button 530, and template button 532. The clinicianmay select any of buttons 526, 528, 530 and 532 when the cliniciandesires that function. The clinician may also select exit button 534 toclose menu box 524. Alternative embodiments of menu button 524 mayinclude more or less buttons that perform similar tasks related toprogramming the stimulation therapy.

FIG. 32 is a flow diagram illustrating an example technique for creatinga stimulation template set based upon received stimulation fieldsdefined by the user. As shown in FIG. 32, user interface 456 begins bydisplaying the first default 2D view of the anatomical region, e.g., acoronal view, or the 2D view selected by the clinician (536). Userinterface 456 next receives the outline of a stimulation field from theclinician (538) and selects the best initial template set that fits thestimulation field currently defined by the clinician (540). Userinterface then displays the stimulation template set with thestimulation field in the selected 2D view (542). If the user selectsanother 2D view (544), user interface 456 displays the newly selected 2Dview (536). After multiple stimulation fields have been defined indifferent orthogonal views, the volumetric stimulation field becomesmore accurate to reflect the desired therapy of the clinician.

If the user does not select a different 2D view (544), user interface456 will generate stimulation parameters according to the stimulationtemplate set that best fits the stimulation field (546). Programmer 458will transmit the stimulation parameters to IMD 20 and deliver teststimulation with the stimulation parameters (548). If the cliniciandesires to adjust the stimulation therapy (550), user interface willagain display a selected or default 2D view of the anatomical region(536). If the clinician does not need to make any therapy adjustments,system 10 will finalize the stimulation therapy for chronic use (552).

In some embodiments, test stimulation may be provided to patient 12 inreal time as the clinician defines new stimulation fields. This mannerof testing therapy may take less time for the clinician to find anappropriate therapy. In other embodiments, programmer 458 may not needto generate stimulation parameters after the stimulation template sethas been selected because the stimulation template set may alreadyinclude stimulation parameters as needed by IMD 20 to provide thetherapy.

FIGS. 33-38 illustrate user interfaces that provide an atlas to aclinician for selecting structures of an anatomical region to stimulate.FIG. 33 is an example screen shot of a coronal view of reference anatomybrain tissue to aid the user in selecting a structure of the anatomy tostimulate. As shown in FIG. 33, user interface 554 presents coronal view558 of an atlas to the clinician via programmer 556. Programmer 556 isan embodiment of programmer 19. User interface 554 also includesprevious arrow 560, next arrow 562, menu 564, view indicator 566, andstructure box 568. Pointer 570 is used by the clinician, or anotheruser, to select a structure of the anatomical region represented incoronal view 558 to program stimulation therapy.

Coronal view 558 presents an atlas, where the atlas is a referenceanatomical region of a reference anatomy. The atlas may be representedin the form of a drawing or actual image from an imaging modality suchas magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computer-aided tomography (CT), orother similar imaging technique. The reference anatomy may be an anatomydifferent from patient 12 anatomy. Specific structures of the referenceanatomy may be identified and their locations within the referenceanatomy determined to create an atlas. The atlas may be stored in memory82. While the atlas of coronal view 558 is mostly likely slightlydifferent from the patient anatomical region of patient 12 anatomy, thestructure locations may be close enough to generate stimulationparameters based upon the atlas. In this manner, the clinician may notneed to recognize each structure of patient 12. Instead, the clinicianmay only need to select the structure that is recognizable in the atlas.The clinician may use pointer 570 to select a specific structure of theatlas, at which time the structure name is displayed in structure box568. In the example of FIG. 33, the substantia nigra has been identifiedin the atlas, and programmer 556 will map that structure of the atlas tothe location of lead 14 in brain 18.

User interface 554 may also allow the clinician to view other 2Dsections of the atlas by using previous arrow 560 and next arrow 562 tomove to other depths of the atlas. Since structures may be locatedthroughout the volume of the 3D atlas, the clinician may need to move toother slices of the atlas to find a structure of interest. In someembodiments, user interface 554 may include a search input that allowsthe clinician to type in a structure name to move directly to thecorrect depth of the atlas.

Programmer 556 generates stimulation parameters based upon the locationof the one or more selected structures to the location of lead 14. Insome embodiments, generating stimulation parameters may includeselection of stimulation templates and creation of a stimulationtemplate set based on the selected structures. In any case, the atlasallows the clinician to quickly select the most appropriate structurethat needs to be stimulated to treat the condition of patient 12.

FIG. 34 is an example screen shot of a sagittal view of referenceanatomy brain tissue to aid the user in selecting a structure of theanatomy to stimulate. As shown in FIG. 34, user interface 554 presentssagittal view 572 of an atlas to the clinician via programmer 556. Userinterface 554 also includes previous arrow 574, next arrow 576, menu578, view indicator 580, and structure box 582. Pointer 584 is used bythe clinician, or another user, to select a structure of the atlasrepresented in sagittal view 572 to program stimulation therapy, similarto FIG. 33.

Previous arrow 574 and next arrow 576 allow the clinician to move toother depths of the atlas for sagittal view 572. Since structures may belocated throughout the volume of the 3D atlas, the clinician may need tomove to other slices of the atlas to find a structure of interest. Insome embodiments, user interface 554 may include a search input thatallows the clinician to type in a structure name to move directly to thecorrect depth of the atlas in the sagittal plane. In some embodiments,the clinician may not need to access sagittal view 572 because thedesired structure may be found in coronal view 558.

FIG. 35 is an example screen shot of an axial view of reference anatomybrain tissue to aid the user in selecting a structure of the anatomysuch that parameters for stimulation of patient 12 may be automaticallydetermined based on the selected structure. As shown in FIG. 35, userinterface 554 presents axial view 586 of an atlas to the clinician viaprogrammer 556. User interface 554 also includes previous arrow 588,next arrow 590, menu 592, view indicator 594, and structure box 596.Pointer 598 is used by the clinician, or another user, to select astructure of the atlas represented in sagittal view 572 to programstimulation therapy, similar to FIGS. 33 and 34. In some embodiments,the clinician may not need to access axial view 586 because the desiredstructure may be found in coronal view 558 or sagittal view 572.

Previous arrow 588 and next arrow 590 allow the clinician to move toother depths of the atlas for axial view 586. Since structures may belocated throughout the volume of the 3D atlas, the clinician may need tomove to other slices of the atlas to find a structure of interest. Insome embodiments, user interface 554 may include a search input thatallows the clinician to type in a structure name to move directly to thecorrect depth of the atlas in the sagittal plane.

In some embodiments of user interface 554, the user interface mayhighlight the selected one or more structures once the clinician hasmade the selection in the atlas. This graphical representation of theselected structures may allow the clinician to review the structures foraccuracy in where stimulation therapy should occur. Alternatively, theatlas may show areas of atlas where stimulation therapy should beavoided to prevent unwanted side-effects. The highlighted structures mayallow the clinician to make sure that no overlaps occur between theselected structures and areas where stimulation should be avoided.

FIG. 36 is an example screen shot of a coronal view of reference anatomybrain tissue with the lead icon to aid the user in selecting a structureof the anatomy such that parameters for stimulation of patient 12 may beautomatically determined based on the selected structure. As shown inFIG. 36, user interface 600 presents coronal view 604 of an atlas of tothe clinician via programmer 602. Programmer 602 is an embodiment ofprogrammer 19. User interface 600 also includes previous arrow 606, nextarrow 608, menu 610, view indicator 612, and structure box 614. Pointer616 is used by the clinician, or another user, to select a structure ofthe anatomical region represented in coronal view 604 to programstimulation therapy. FIG. 36 is substantially similar to FIG. 33, exceptthat lead icon 618 is provided in user interface 600 to represent theimplant location of lead 14.

The clinician may place lead icon 618 into coronal view 604 of the atlasaccording to the implantation location within patient 12. In alternativeembodiments, system 10 may automatically enter the correct lead icon 618location according to coordinates provided by the clinician, a surgeon,or an image of lead 14 within patient 12. The clinician may prefer touse lead icon 618 location within the atlas as a reference location toselect the appropriate structures. Based on the location of lead icon618 and the selected structures within the atlas, programmer 602 may beable to automatically determine parameters for delivery of stimulationfrom lead 14 to patient 12.

FIG. 37 is an example screen shot of a sagittal view of referenceanatomy brain tissue with the lead icon to aid the user in selecting astructure of the anatomy to stimulate. As shown in FIG. 37, userinterface 600 presents sagittal view 620 of an atlas to the clinicianvia programmer 602. User interface 600 also includes previous arrow 622,next arrow 624, menu 626, view indicator 628, and structure box 630.Pointer 632 is used by the clinician, or another user, to select astructure of the atlas represented in sagittal view 620 to programstimulation therapy. FIG. 37 is substantially similar to FIG. 34, exceptthat lead icon 634 is provided in user interface 600 to represent theimplant location of lead 14 for reference to the clinician. Theclinician may adjust the location of lead icon 634 in coronal view 620of the atlas according to the implantation location within patient 12.Similar to FIG. 36, the clinician may prefer to use lead icon 634location within the atlas as a reference location to select theappropriate structures for generating stimulation parameters.

FIG. 38 is an example screen shot of an axial view of reference anatomybrain tissue with a lead icon to aid the user in selecting a structureof the anatomy to stimulate. As shown in FIG. 38, user interface 600presents axial view 636 of an atlas to the clinician via programmer 602.User interface 600 also includes previous arrow 638, next arrow 640,menu 642, view indicator 644, and structure box 646. Pointer 648 is usedby the clinician, or another user, to select a structure of the atlasrepresented in coronal view 604 or sagittal view 620 to programstimulation therapy, similar to FIG. 35. FIG. 38 is substantiallysimilar to FIG. 35, except that lead icon 650 is provided in userinterface 600 to represent the implant location of lead 14 for referenceto the clinician. The clinician may adjust the location of lead icon 650in axial view 636 of the atlas according to the implantation locationwithin patient 12. Similar to FIG. 36, the clinician may prefer to uselead icon 350 location within the atlas as a reference location toselect the appropriate structures for generating stimulation parameters.

FIGS. 39-41 illustrate a user interface which includes an atlas overlaidwith a patient anatomical region (shown in the examples via dotted linesand shading) that allows a clinician to select a structure forstimulation. In other embodiments, the atlas may be computer generatedimages while the patient anatomy is an actual CT image. Alternatively,both the atlas and patient anatomy are CT images or some other imagingmodality which are separated by coloration, shading, or some othervisual distinction. Furthermore, while not necessary, the clinician maybe able to search different slices of each 2D view in order to locatespecific anatomical structures in the atlas and patient anatomicalregion. FIG. 39 is an example screen shot of a coronal view of referenceanatomy brain tissue overlaid over a coronal view of the patient anatomyto aid the user in selecting a structure of the anatomy to stimulate. Asshown in FIG. 39, programmer 654 presents coronal view 656 of an atlas670 and a coronal view 656 of a patient anatomical region 672 to theclinician via user interface 652. Programmer 654 may be substantiallysimilar to programmer 19. User interface 652 also includes previousarrow 658, next arrow 660, menu 662, view indicator 664, and structurebox 666. Pointer 668 is used by the clinician, or another user, toselect a structure of atlas 670 represented in coronal view 656 toprogram stimulation therapy. FIG. 39 is substantially similar to FIG.33, except that patient anatomical region 672 is provided over atlas 670to allow the clinician to view both the atlas and actual anatomy ofpatient 12 at the same time.

The clinician may select structures directly from the locations withinatlas 670. Patient anatomical region 672 is scaled to atlas 670 andprovided to indicate to the clinician where the actual structure ofpatient 12 is located in relation to the atlas. In cases where atlas 670closely mirrors the anatomy of patient 12, overlaying patient anatomicalregion 672 may not be necessary for programming stimulation therapy.However, adding patient anatomical region 672 may be beneficial to theclinician in correctly treating patient 12 while avoiding problematicareas of brain 18 that may induce side-effects. Patient anatomicalregion 672 may be partially transparent so that atlas 670 may be readilyviewable by the clinician or other user.

In some embodiments, user interface 652 may allow the clinician totoggle between viewing only atlas 670 or patient anatomical region 672for clarity. Menu 662 may allow the clinician to select the transparencyof patient anatomical region 672 according to their preference. Inalternative embodiments, user interface may also present a lead icon incoronal view 656, similar to FIG. 36. The lead icon may be placed withinpatient anatomical region 672 to accurately show the clinician fromwhere stimulation therapy will be originating in patient 12.

FIG. 40 is an example screen shot of a sagittal view of referenceanatomy brain tissue overlaid over a sagittal view of the patientanatomy to aid the user in selecting a structure of the patient anatomyto stimulate. As shown in FIG. 40, user interface 652 presents sagittalview 674 of an atlas 688 and a patient anatomical region 690 to theclinician via programmer 654. User interface 652 also includes previousarrow 676, next arrow 679, menu 680, view indicator 682, and structurebox 684. Pointer 686 is used by the clinician, or another user, toselect a structure of atlas 688 represented in sagittal view 674 toprogram stimulation therapy. FIG. 40 is substantially similar to FIG.34, except that patient anatomical region 690 is provided over atlas 688to allow the clinician to view both the atlas and actual anatomy ofpatient 12 at the same time. As in FIG. 39, patient anatomical region690 is at least partially transparent so that atlas 688 can be seen aswell. The clinician may also use previous arrow 676 and next arrow 678to move between slices at different depths than is shown in sagittalview 674.

FIG. 41 is an example screen shot of an axial view of reference anatomybrain tissue overlaid over an axial view of the patient anatomy to aidthe user in selecting a structure of the patient anatomy to stimulate.As shown in FIG. 41, programmer 654 presents axial view 690 of an atlas704 and a patient anatomical region 706 to the clinician via userinterface 652. User interface 652 also includes previous arrow 692, nextarrow 694, menu 696, view indicator 698, and structure box 700. Pointer702 is used by the clinician, or another user, to select a structure ofatlas 704 represented in axial view 690 to program stimulation therapy.FIG. 41 is substantially similar to FIG. 35, except that patientanatomical region 706 is provided over atlas 704 to allow the clinicianto view both the atlas and actual anatomy of patient 12 at the sametime. As in FIG. 39, patient anatomical region 706 is at least partiallytransparent so that atlas 704 can be seen as well. The clinician mayalso use previous arrow 692 and next arrow 694 to move between slices atdifferent depths than is shown in axial view 690. Once the clinician issatisfied with the selected structures, the clinician can use menu 696to request that programmer 654 generate stimulation parameters basedupon the selected structures. In other embodiments, user interface 652may provide a separate button to generate the stimulation parameters.

FIG. 42 is a flow diagram illustrating an example technique forreceiving stimulation input from a user using the reference anatomy, oratlas. FIG. 42 may correspond to the process of programming thestimulation therapy illustrated in any examples if FIGS. 33-41. However,user interface 554 of FIGS. 33-35 will be used as an example. The methodbegins when programmer 556 correlates the actual lead 14 position withinpatient 12 to the coordinates of the atlas (708). User interface 556then presents the atlas to the clinician (710) and receives thestructure selection from the clinician after the clinician has viewedthe various 2D views of the atlas (712). Processor 80 of programmer 558next generates stimulation parameters for the selected one or morestructures in accordance with the location of lead 14 relative to thestructures selected (714). Processor 80 also calculates an error for thestimulation therapy to the structures that are to be treated (716).Calculating the error may involve identifying the extent to whichstructures other than the selected structure must be stimulation inorder for an IMD to deliver stimulation from lead to the selectedstructures. Processor 80 may calculate the error as a volume ofextraneous tissue stimulated. Processor 80 may apply a weighting factorto the error based on the likelihood that stimulation of the particularextraneous tissue will result in side effects. If the error is greaterthan a predetermined threshold (718), user interface 558 prompts theclinician to select a new structure that may have a lower error (720).Then, user interface 556 again receives structure selection from theclinician (712).

If the error is smaller than the predetermined threshold, programmer 558may store the stimulation parameters and initiate the transfer of thestimulation parameters to IMD 20. Calculating the error may reduce thefrequency and magnitude of side-effects that may be produced fromstimulation therapy affecting non-target structures. In addition,calculating the error may reduce the number of ineffective stimulationparameters tried that do not fully treat the structure of concern. Ineither case, the error calculation may improve therapy efficacy andreduce clinician programming trial and error.

FIG. 43 is an illustration that shows how the reference anatomy may becombined with the patient anatomy to result in a morphed atlas forprogramming the stimulation therapy. Atlas 724 is shown as a CT imagewhile patient anatomical region 726 is illustrated as a computer model.In other embodiments, atlas 724 and patient anatomical region 726 may beany combination of CT images and/or computer models. As shown in FIG.43, atlas 724 is a reference anatomical region of a reference anatomy.Atlas 724 is beneficial to use in programming stimulation therapybecause the location of specific structures is know and readilyidentifiable. However, atlas 724 does not represent the actual anatomyof patient 12 surrounding implanted lead 14. Patient anatomical region726 represents the actual anatomy of patient 12, but a clinician may notbe able to easily identify the specific location of structures thatshould be subject to electrical stimulation.

To fit atlas 724 to patient anatomical region 726, programmer 19 mayessentially map the locations of structures of the atlas to the actuallocations of the tissue of the patient anatomical region. This fittingmay be completed by identifying specific markers common to all anatomiesand fitting the remaining atlas 724 to the coordinates of patientanatomical region 726. This resulting morphed atlas 728 may allow aclinician to select structures at the specific location in question. Oneexample of how programmer 19 may create morphed atlas 728 is describedin U.S. Patent Application No. 2005/0070781 by Dawant et al., entitled,“ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL ATLAS AND APPLICATIONS OF SAME” and filed Jul. 1,2004. FIGS. 44-47 illustrate the use of morphed atlas 728 forprogramming stimulation therapy.

Morphed atlas 728 may provide some advantages to the clinician overatlas 724 or patient anatomical region 726 alone. For example, theclinician may be able to define a stimulation field on morphed atlas 728and review that the desire structure resides within the volumetricstimulation field. Alternatively, the clinician may request a particularstructure, and morphed atlas 728 may point the clinician directly to thecorresponding location of the patient anatomy.

FIG. 44 is an example screen shot of a coronal view of a morphed atlasto aid the user in selecting a structure of the anatomy to stimulate. Asshown in FIG. 44, user interface 730 presents coronal view 734 ofmorphed atlas 728 to the clinician via programmer 732. Programmer 732 isan embodiment of programmer 19. User interface 730 also includesprevious arrow 736, next arrow 738, menu 740, view indicator 742, andstructure box 744. Lead icon 748 represents the location of lead 14 inpatient 12. Pointer 746 is used by the clinician, or another user, toselect a structure of coronal view 734 of morphed atlas 728 to programstimulation therapy. The clinician may select any structure by pointingto a location of coronal view 734, and the specific structure is thenlisted in structure box 744.

Other 2D slices of morphed atlas 728 at different depths may be viewedby the clinician via selecting previous arrow 736 or next arrow 738.Programmer 732 generates stimulation parameters based upon the one ormore selected structures from coronal view 734 of morphed atlas 728 andthe location of the structures to the location of lead 14 represented bylead icon 748. In some embodiments, generating stimulation parametersmay include the use of stimulation templates and creating a stimulationtemplate set according to the selected structures. In any case, themorphed atlas allows the clinician to quickly select the mostappropriate structure that needs to be stimulated to treat the conditionof patient 12.

FIG. 45 is an example screen shot of a sagittal view of a morphed atlasto aid the user in selecting a structure of the anatomy to stimulate. Asshown in FIG. 45, user interface 730 presents sagittal view 750 ofmorphed atlas 728 to the clinician via programmer 732. User interface730 also includes previous arrow 752, next arrow 754, menu 756, viewindicator 758, and structure box 760. Lead icon 764 represents thelocation of lead 14 in patient 12. Pointer 762 is used by the clinician,or another user, to select a structure of sagittal view 750 of morphedatlas 728 to program stimulation therapy. The clinician may select anystructure by pointing to a location of sagittal view 750, and thespecific structure is then listed in structure box 760. Similar to FIG.44, the clinician may go to other depths of morphed atlas 728 by usingprevious arrow 752 and next arrow 754. The clinician may also move leadicon 764 to correctly position the lead icon based on the location oflead 14, if adjustments are necessary.

FIG. 46 is an example screen shot of an axial view of a morphed atlas toaid the user in selecting a structure of the anatomy to stimulate. Asshown in FIG. 46, user interface 730 presents axial view 766 of morphedatlas 728 to the clinician via programmer 732. User interface 730 alsoincludes previous arrow 768, next arrow 770, menu 772, view indicator774, and structure box 776. Lead icon 780 represents the location oflead 14 in patient 12. Pointer 778 is used by the clinician, or anotheruser, to select a structure of axial view 766 of morphed atlas 728 toprogram stimulation therapy. The clinician may select any structure bypointing to a location of axial view 766, and the specific structure isthen listed in structure box 776. Similar to FIG. 44, the clinician maygo to other depths of morphed atlas 728 by using previous arrow 768 andnext arrow 770. The clinician may also move lead icon 780 to correctlyposition the lead icon to lead 14, if adjustments are necessary. Theclinician may also use view indicator 774 to switch between coronal view734, sagittal view 750, and axial view 766. Menu 772 may be used torequest that programmer 732 generate stimulation parameters to fit thestructures that are selected from morphed atlas 728.

FIG. 47 is a flow diagram illustrating an example technique for creatingthe morphed atlas and receiving a structure selection from the user. Asshown in FIG. 47, programmer 732 begins by creating an atlas coordinatesystem (ACS) which includes structures defined within the ACS (782).Next programmer 732 creates a patient data coordinate system (PCS)according to the stored patient anatomy data (784). Programmer 732scales the sizes of the ACS to the size of the PCS before any otheroperation takes place (786). Programmer then can fit, or morph, the ACSto the PCS in order to create the morphed atlas 728 (788). In addition,programmer 732 determines the lead 14 location within morphed atlas 728based on its position in the patient anatomy so that the programmer cangenerate appropriate stimulation parameters (790). User interface 730can then present 2D views of morphed atlas 728 as needed to theclinician (792). When prompted by the clinician, user interface 730receives structure selection from the clinician (794) and generates theappropriate stimulation parameters from the selected structuresassociated with morphed atlas 728 (796).

In some embodiments, programmer 732 may use stimulation templates inorder to generate stimulation parameters for therapy. Alternatively,programmer 732 may use a set of stimulation equations that can handlestructure coordinates from the morphed atlas to produce stimulationparameter sets. In other embodiments, morphed atlas 732 may need to begenerated by a stand alone workstation with sufficient processing power.Programmer 732 embodied as a hand held computing device may not becapable of generating the morphed atlas in an appropriate time frame. Itshould be mentioned that other methods of producing the morphed atlasfrom the original atlas and patient anatomy may be used and remainwithin the scope of this disclosure.

FIG. 48 is an example user interface that allows the user to selectstructures to stimulate from multiple pull down menus. As shown in FIG.48, the clinician may utilize user interface 798 to select structuresthat should be stimulated by IMD 20. Alternatively, the clinician maydetermine “keepout” regions by selection of one or more structures toprevent or avoid electrical stimulation of those selected regions.Programmer 800 may be substantially similar to programmer 19. Programmer800 displays structure view 802 to a clinician which includes structuremenus 806, 812 and 818. Structure view 802 also includes previous arrow824, next arrow 826, menu 828, accept button 830, add button 832, resetbutton 834 and map button 836. Structure menus 806, 812 and 818 may beconsidered “drop-down menus,” although other means for selectingstructures, such as text boxes that allow the clinician to enter text ofthe structure to stimulate, may be used in alternative embodiments. Userinterface 798 is an alternative to providing the clinician with agraphical representation of an atlas as illustrated in user interface554.

A user, such as the clinician, uses pointer 804 to select arrow 808 toopen structure menu 806 in which provides multiple structures by name tothe clinician. The clinician can then select one of the structures fromstructure menu 806 as the first structure that is to be stimulated. Theclinician may also define the magnitude of the stimulation therapy tothe selected first structure. Power value 810 allows the clinician toset a percentage of the default stimulation for that structure. Forexample, if the clinician desires to only stimulate part of the firststructure, the clinician may set power value 810 to 50% so that theentire structure is not subject to the electrical stimulation.

The user may also select more structures to be stimulated. The user mayselect a second structure from structure menu 812 using arrow 808 and athird structure from structure menu 818 using arrow 820. Althoughillustrated as three, any number of structures may be selected. Similarto the first structure, the clinician may use power values 816 and 822to specific the stimulation magnitude for each respective structure.User interface 798 may provide more structure menus to the clinician byincluding a scroll option in structure view 802. The clinician mayselect add button 832 to add another structure menu. Alternatively, userinterface 798 may require the clinician to enter another screen to viewadditional structure menus. In other embodiments, user interface 798 mayonly provide structures that are physically capable of being stimulatedby lead 14 based upon the lead location and IMD 20 capabilities.

Once the clinician has finished selecting the one or more structures forstimulation, the clinician may select accept button 830. Once acceptbutton 830 is selected, programmer 800 may generate the best stimulationparameters according to the selected structures. If the cliniciandesires to change the structures, the clinician may select reset button834 to return each structure menu 806, 812 and 818 to its defaultsetting of “none.” In addition, the clinician may desire to visualizethe selected structures on the atlas or morphed atlas. Once theclinician selects map button 836, structure view 802 may be replaced bya graphical representation of an atlas similar to any of views 558, 572or 586 of user interface 554. Alternatively, any of user interfaces 600,652 or 730 may be used to visualize the structures to the clinicianafter the selection of map button 836.

FIG. 49 is an example user interface that shows a pull down menu of FIG.48 which contains anatomical structures that the user may select toprogram the stimulation therapy. As shown in FIG. 49, structure view 838displays that the clinician has selected arrow 844 of structure menu 842to view the available structures to stimulate in list 846. Scroll bar848 may be used to view all structures of list 846. Using pointer 840,the clinician is about to select “SUBSTANTIA NIGRA” as the firststructure to be stimulated. Once selected, list 846 disappears to allowthe clinician to select a second structure if desired. The structures oflist 846 are merely exemplary, and may depend upon the anatomical regionof interest or allowable stimulated structures of brain 18.

FIG. 50 is an example illustration of a coronal view of an atlas withstructure menu 858 which contains anatomical structures that the usermay select to program the stimulation therapy. As shown in FIG. 50, userinterface 850 presents structure menu 858 over coronal view 854 of anatlas, similar to FIG. 36, of to the clinician via programmer 852.Programmer 852 is an embodiment of programmer 19. User interface 850also includes previous arrow 864, next arrow 866, menu 868, viewindicator 870, amplitude slide 874, and structure button 872.

Once the clinician selects structure button 872, structure menu 858 maypop up over the atlas to allow the clinician to easily select thestructure of interest. Pointer 856 is used by the clinician, or anotheruser, to select arrow 856 and view list 860. Scroll bar 862 may allowthe clinician to view all structures within list 860. Once the clinicianselects the desired structure from list 860, the selected structure maythen be added to the structures for stimulation. In some embodiments,the selected structure may be highlighted, shaded, or colored for easyidentification in coronal view 854. Structure menu 858 may besubstantially similar to a structure menu 842 of FIG. 49, except thatstructure menu 858 is displayed over an atlas. In alternativeembodiments, user interface 850 may include structure menu 858 over anyviews of user interfaces 554, 600, 652 or 730.

FIG. 51 is an example screen shot of a coronal view of a morphed atlasthat indicates which structure the user has pointed to with a pop-upmessage. As shown in FIG. 51, user interface 876 is an embodiment of anyof user interfaces 554, 600, 652 or 730. However, user interface 876uses morphed atlas 728 of user interface 730 as an example. Userinterface 876 provides coronal view 880 on programmer 878. Programmer878 is an embodiment of programmer 19. User interface 876 also presentsprevious arrow 886, next arrow 888, menu 890, view indicator 892,structure box 894 and labels button 896. As the clinician moves pointer882 over coronal view 880, pop-up 884 will appear and indicate whichstructure pointer 882 would select if the clinician selects that area ofmorphed atlas 728. Pop-up 884 may be turned off by selecting labelsbutton 896.

FIG. 52 is flow diagram illustrating an example technique for receivinga structure selection from a user and displaying the structure to theuser. The method of FIG. 52 may be used with any of user interfaces 798,850 or 876; however, the method is described with reference to structuremenus of user interface 798. Programmer 800 is used as an example inFIG. 52, but any of programmers 800, 852, or 878 may be used. Programmer800 provides a structure menu, e.g., a drop down menu, to a clinician(898). User interface 798 next receives one or more structure selectionsfrom the clinician (900). Once prompted, programmer 800 generatesstimulation parameters for the one or more selected structures (902).Programmer 800 will next calculate an error based upon the stimulationthat will be delivered from lead 14 to the selected structures (904). Ifthe error is greater than a predetermined threshold (906), programmer800 will prompt the clinician to select a new structure that willproduce a lesser error (908). Programmer 800 will then proceed toreceive new structure selection from the clinician (900). If the erroris less than the predetermined threshold (906), user interface 798 willdetermine if the structure should be displayed on the atlas (910). Ifthe structure is not to be displayed, programmer 800 will store thegenerated stimulation parameters and transmit the parameters to IMD 20for therapy (914). If the structure is to be presented on the atlas tothe clinician, processor 800 controls user interface 798 will displaythe atlas and structure to the clinician (912) prior to storing thestimulation parameters and transmitting the parameters to IMD 20.

FIGS. 53-57 illustrate an electrical field model that is displayed to auser in orthogonal 2D views to approximate actual stimulation effectsfrom therapy. FIG. 53 is an example screen shot of a coronal view of apatient anatomy with an electrical field model of the definedstimulation therapy. As shown in FIG. 53, programmer 918 controls userinterface 916 to display coronal view 920. Programmer 918 may besubstantially similar to programmer 19, and coronal view 920 may be a 2Dview of any one of an atlas, a morphed atlas, or a patient anatomicalregion as described herein. User interface 916 also includes previousarrow 922, next arrow 924, menu 926, view indicator 928, and amplitude932 with slider 934. The clinician interacts with user interface 916using pointer 930.

Programmer 918 controls user interface 916 to display lead icon 936 andelectrical field 938 to illustrate to the clinician what the electricalfield of the stimulation therapy would look like according to thestimulation parameters defined by the clinician using any of theprogramming techniques described herein. Electrical field 938 representswhere the electrical current will propagate from lead 14 within brain18, as tissue variation within brain 18 may change the electricalcurrent propagation from the lead. The variations in electrical fieldpropagation may affect the ability of the therapy to actually treat adesired structure or cause a side-effect.

Electrical field 938 is a 2D slice of the volumetric electrical fieldmodel created by programmer 918. Programmer 918 utilizes the patientanatomical region data with electrical field model equations that definecurrent propagation. In this manner, electrical field 938 can beestimated and modeled for the clinician. Accordingly, the clinician maybe able to increase or decrease the amplitude of the stimulationparameters with slider 934 and view how the amplitude change wouldaffect the size and shape of electrical field 938. Slider 934 is ananalog adjustment mechanism and may also be in the form of an adjustmentknob instead of the slider. The clinician may move to other depths ofbrain 18 by selecting previous arrow 922 or next arrow 924 and continueto view electrical field 938 and the surrounding anatomical region. Insome embodiments, user interface 916 may allow the clinician to redefinethe stimulation field and generate new stimulation parameters ifelectrical field 938 is not acceptable for therapy.

FIG. 54 is an example screen shot of a sagittal view of a patientanatomy with an electrical field model of the defined stimulationtherapy. As shown in FIG. 54, programmer 918 controls user interface 916to display sagittal view 940 to a clinician. Similar to FIG. 53,sagittal view 940 may be a 2D view of any one of an atlas, a morphedatlas, or a patient anatomical region as described herein. Userinterface 916 also includes previous arrow 942, next arrow 944, menu946, view indicator 948, and amplitude 933 with slider 935. Theclinician interacts with user interface 916 using pointer 931. Similarto FIG. 53, electrical field 939 provides a model of the actualelectrical stimulation around lead icon 937 according to the generatedstimulation parameters for therapy. The clinician may move to differentdepths of sagittal view 940 with previous arrow 942 or next arrow 944while adjusting the amplitude of electrical field 939 with slider 935.Slider 935 is an analog adjustment mechanism and may also be in the formof an adjustment knob instead of the slider.

FIG. 55 is an example screen shot of an axial view of a patient anatomywith an electrical field model of the defined stimulation therapy. Asshown in FIG. 55, user interface 916 displays axial view 941 to aclinician via control from programmer 918. Similar to FIG. 53, axialview 941 may be a 2D view of any one of an atlas, a morphed atlas, or apatient anatomical region as described herein. User interface 916 alsoincludes previous arrow 943, next arrow 945, menu 947, view indicator949, and amplitude 953 with slider 955. The clinician interacts withuser interface 916 using pointer 951. Similar to FIG. 53, electricalfield 959 provides a model of the actual electrical stimulation aroundlead icon 957 according to the generated stimulation parameters fortherapy. The clinician may move to different depths of axial view 941with previous arrow 943 or next arrow 945 while adjusting the amplitudeof electrical field 959 with slider 955. Similar to slider 935, slider955 is an analog adjustment mechanism and may also be in the form of anadjustment knob instead of the slider. When the clinician is finishedviewing the electrical field model, the clinician may select menu 947 toeither reprogram the stimulation therapy or deliver therapy with thecurrent stimulation parameters.

FIG. 56 is an example screen shot of an axial view of a patient anatomywith an electrical field model of the enlarged defined stimulationtherapy from FIG. 55. FIG. 56 includes user interface 916 that displaysaxial view 961, lead icon 969 and electrical field 971. The clinicianhas used pointer 963 to move slide 967 towards greater amplitude toincrease the size of electrical field 971 as compared to electricalfield 959 of FIG. 55. Not only does the size of electrical field 971increase, but the shape of the electrical field changes as well becauseof the electrical propagation through the anatomical region.Alternatively, the clinician may grab electrical field 950 to make itbigger, which moves slide 967 towards greater amplitude. It should benoted that increasing the current or voltage amplitude of electricalfield 971 will increase power consumption from power source 78 ofsimulator 20. In some embodiments, user interface 916 may include apower consumption indicator that displays therapy duration with proposedpower consumption, rate of power consumption, or some other indicatorthat the clinician can use to program the stimulation therapy.

FIG. 57 is a flow diagram illustrating an example technique forcalculating and displaying the electrical field model of definedstimulation described with reference to the examples of FIGS. 54-56. Asshown in FIG. 57, programmer 918 receives patient anatomy data necessaryfor creating an electrical field (952). Programmer 918 enters thepatient anatomy data in stored electrical field model equations orequation sets to satisfy anatomical variable (954). Programmer 918 nextcalculates the electrical field model from the data and equations (956).Once user interface 916 receives stimulation input from the cliniciandefining the stimulation field (958), programmer 918 generates theelectrical field that is displayed to the clinician via the userinterface (960). If the clinician desires to change the stimulationinput (962), user interface 916 receives a change in the stimulationinput and programmer 918 makes the corresponding changes (958). If theclinician does not request a stimulation input change (962), userinterface 916 continues to display the electrical field to the clinicianaccording to programmer 918 (960).

FIGS. 58-62 illustrate an activation field model that is presented to auser. FIG. 58 is an example screen shot of a coronal view of a patientanatomy with an activation field model of the defined stimulationtherapy. As shown in FIG. 58, user interface 964 includes a programmerthat displays coronal view 968 to a clinician. Programmer 966 may besubstantially similar to programmer 19, and coronal view 968 may be a 2Dview of any one of an atlas, a morphed atlas, or a patient anatomicalregion as described herein. Coronal view 968 also includes previousarrow 970, next arrow 972, menu 947, view indicator 976, and amplitude980 with slider 982. The clinician interacts with programmer 966 usingpointer 978.

Programmer 966 displays lead icon 984 and activation fields 986, 988 and990 on coronal view 968 to illustrate to the clinician which neurons inthe anatomical region will be activated by the produced electricalfield. An activation field model is generated by applying a neuron modelto a generated electrical field model. The neuron model indicates thevoltage or current amplitude that is required for the tissue within theanatomical region to be stimulated. Since some tissue may be covered byan electrical field of voltage too small to activate the neurons in thattissue, this tissue is not actually affected by the electrical field.The activation field model may accurately indicate which tissues will betreated by the electrical field. As shown in coronal view 968, theactivation field model is not continuous. Due to some tissue notactivated by the electrical field, the activation field model is brokeninto activation fields 986, 988 and 990.

Activation fields 986, 988 and 990 are 2D slices of the volumetricactivation field model created by programmer 966. Programmer 966utilizes the patient anatomical region data with electrical field modelequations to define an electrical field model. A neuron model is appliedto the electrical field model to create the activation field model shownin FIG. 58. Accordingly, the clinician may be able to increase ordecrease the amplitude of the stimulation parameters with slider 982, oranalog adjustment mechaniss, in view how the amplitude change wouldaffect the size and shape of activation fields 986, 988 and 990.Changing the amplitude of the stimulation may change the number ofactivation fields as different numbers of neurons in the tissue areactivated. The clinician may move to other depths of brain 18 byselecting previous arrow 970 or next arrow 972 and continue to view 2Dslices of the activation field model and the surrounding anatomicalregion. In some embodiments, programmer 966 may allow the clinician toredefine the stimulation field and generate new stimulation parametersif activation fields 986, 988 and 990 is not acceptable for therapy.

FIG. 59 is an example screen shot of a sagittal view of a patientanatomy with an activation field model of the defined stimulationtherapy. As shown in FIG. 59, user interface 964 includes a programmer966 that displays sagittal view 992 to a clinician. Similar to FIG. 58,sagittal view 992 may be a 2D view of any one of an atlas, a morphedatlas, or a patient anatomical region as described herein. Sagittal view992 also includes previous arrow 994, next arrow 996, menu 998, viewindicator 1000, and amplitude 1004 with slider 1006. The clinicianinteracts with programmer 966 using pointer 1002. Similar to FIG. 58,activation fields 1010 and 1012 provide a model of the actual neuronsthat are activated around lead icon 1008 according to the generatedstimulation parameters for therapy. The clinician may move to differentdepths of sagittal view 992 with previous arrow 994 or next arrow 996while adjusting the amplitude of the activation field model with slider1006, e.g., an analog adjustment mechanism.

FIG. 60 is an example screen shot of an axial view of a patient anatomywith an activation field model of the defined stimulation therapy. Asshown in FIG. 60, user interface 964 includes programmer 966 thatdisplays axial view 1014 to a clinician. Similar to FIG. 58, axial view1014 may be a 2D view of any one of an atlas, a morphed atlas, or apatient anatomical region as described herein. Axial view 1014 alsoincludes previous arrow 1016, next arrow 1018, menu 1020, view indicator1022, and amplitude 1026 with slider 1028. The clinician interacts withuser interface 964 using pointer 1024. Similar to FIG. 58, activationfields 1032, 1034, 1036 and 1038 provide a model of the actual neuronsthat are activated around lead icon 1030 according to the generatedstimulation parameters for therapy. The clinician may move to differentdepths of axial view 1014 with previous arrow 1016 or next arrow 1018while adjusting the amplitude of the activation field model with slider1028, e.g., an analog adjustment mechanism. When the clinician isfinished viewing the activation field model of user interface 964, theclinician may select menu 1020 to either reprogram the stimulationtherapy or deliver therapy with the current stimulation parameters.

FIG. 61 is an example screen shot of an axial view of a patient anatomywith an activation field model of the enlarged defined stimulationtherapy from FIG. 60. FIG. 61 includes user interface 964 that displaysaxial view 1040 (similar to axial view 1014) lead icon 1048 andactivation fields 1050, 1052, 1054 and 1056 of the full activation fieldmodel. The clinician has used pointer 1042 to move slide 1046 towardsgreater amplitude to increase the size of the activation field model,which is shown by new activation fields 1050, 1052, 1054 and 1056 ascompared to electrical fields 1032, 1034, 1036 and 1038 of FIG. 60. Notonly does the size of the activation fields increase, but the shape andlocation of the activation fields change because the increased amplitudeof the electrical field changes the tissues that are activated from thestimulation. Alternatively, the clinician may grab any of activationfields 1050-1056 to make it bigger, which moves slide 1046 towardsgreater amplitude. It should be noted that increasing the current orvoltage amplitude of electrical field 971, and the correspondingactivation fields, will increase power consumption from power source 78of simulator 20. In some embodiments, user interface 964 may include apower consumption indicator that displays therapy duration with proposedpower consumption, rate of power consumption, or some other indicatorthat the clinician can use to program the stimulation therapy.

FIG. 62 is a flow diagram illustrating an example technique forcalculating and displaying the activation field model of definedstimulation. As shown in FIG. 62, programmer 966 receives patientanatomy data through user interface 964 indicative of the anatomy ofpatient 12 (1058) and the programmer calculates the electrical fieldmodel from the patient anatomy data (1060). Programmer 966 thenretrieves the neuron model and fits the neuron model to the electricalfield (1062). Programmer 966 then calculates the activation field modelbased upon the electrical field model and neuron model (1064).Programmer 966 is then is able to receive stimulation input through userinterface 964 from the clinician defining what structures of theanatomical region should be stimulated (1066). The resulting activationfield model is displayed by user interface 964 (1068). If the cliniciandesires to change the stimulation input (1070), user interface 964receives stimulation input from the clinician modifying the previousstimulation input (1066). If the stimulation input does not need to bechanged (1070), the activation field model continues to be displayed byprogrammer 966 (1068).

FIGS. 63-66 are related to an embodiment of the disclosure allowing auser to define a stimulation field in a 3D environment. FIG. 63 is aconceptual diagram illustrating a 3D visualization environment includinga 3D brain model for defining a 3D stimulation field. FIG. 63 is aconceptual diagram illustrating a three-dimensional (3D) environmentincluding a 3D brain model for defining a 3D stimulation field. As shownin FIG. 63, user interface 1072 includes 3D view 1074, brain model 1076,stimulation field 1078, and hand 1080. 3D view 1074 is a 3D environmentfor the clinician to program IMD 20. Brain model 1076 is a 3D anatomicalregion and stimulation field 1078 is a 3D stimulation field within brainmodel 1076. Hand 1080 controls the view and aspects of 3D view accordingto user input from the clinician. Generally, brain model 1076 isstationed showing a sagittal view.

3D view 1074 may be displayed on a hand held programmer, which mayinclude components similar to those illustrated with reference toprogrammer 19 in FIG. 5, or rendered in a 3D virtual reality spaceprovided by a computing device that shows depth with any type of 3Ddisplay. 3D view 1074 can be displayed on a 2D display by usingpartially transparent surfaces and grey or color shades. A fullyinteractive 3D view 1074 may allow a clinician to view within brainmodel 1076 and identify anatomical regions that are targets forstimulation therapy. User interface 1072 may even include a glove orfinger device that is the input mechanism for rotating and adjusting 3Dview 1074. Brain model 1076 may be generated from imaging data from MRI,CT, or other imaging modality. While shading of brain model 1076 are notshown in FIGS. 63-65, the clinician would see anatomical regions ofbrain 18.

While a lead icon representing lead 14 is not shown in 3D view 1074,user interface 1072 may incorporate imaging data after lead 14 isimplanted to automatically recognize the orientation and location of thelead within patient 12. Alternatively, the clinician may place a leadicon within brain model 1076 based upon stereotactic data or implantcoordinates.

User interface 1072 initially displays stimulation field 1078 based uponthe location of lead 14. The clinician can adjust and manipulatestimulation field 1078 as desired with hand 1080. The clinician may alsouse hand 1080 to rotate and spin brain model 1076 in any direction. Userinterface 1072 also supports zooming in and out and “flying” around 3Dview 1074 to see stimulation field 1078 within brain model 1076.

User interface 1072 may include a wand tool that allows the clinician tohighlight various ranges in brain model 1076 to be included instimulation field 1078. The wand tool may automatically select pixels inall three dimensions. In other dimensions, the clinician may grab one ofseveral predefined stimulation field shapes and place the shape withinbrain model 1076 to become stimulation field 1078. In any case, userinterface 1072 may set limits to stimulation field 1078 based upon thecharacteristics of lead 14 and the capabilities of IMD 20. Patient 12safety may also govern the size and location of stimulation field 1078.

FIG. 64 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a rotated 3D brain modelwith the currently defined 3D stimulation field. As shown in FIG. 64,user interface 1072 includes 3D view 1074, brain model 1082, stimulationfield 1084 and hand 1086. The clinician has grabbed brain model 1082with hand 1086 to rotate the brain model to show a coronal view from thefront of the brain. 3D view 1074 also shows that stimulation field 1084is located in the left hemisphere of brain 18. The clinician may move oradjust stimulation field 1084 to cover target anatomical regions andavoid adjacent regions not to be stimulated.

FIG. 65 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a manipulated 3Dstimulation field positioned within a 3D brain model. FIG. 65 is aconceptual diagram illustrating a manipulated 3D stimulation fieldpositioned within 3D brain model 1088. As shown in FIG. 65, theclinician has stretched the shape of stimulation field 1090 with hand1092. The clinician may continue to stretch and mold the shape ofstimulation field 1090 until the stimulation field covers the anatomicalregions targeted for electrical stimulation. The clinician may zoom into have greater fine control over the shape of stimulation field 1090.

The clinician may also use user interface 1072 to add additionalstimulation fields, shrink stimulation fields, or split a stimulationfield into two stimulation fields. In some embodiments, certain areas ofbrain 18 may be blocked from stimulation. User interface 1072 mayautomatically eliminate stimulation from those areas without theclinician needing to match the outline of the blocked areas. Once theclinician is completed with adjusting stimulation field 1088, userinterface 1072 may utilize programmer 19 to generate the associatedstimulation parameters.

User interface 1072 may be very intuitive and even instructional toclinicians needing to program IMD 20 with a 3D lead such as lead 14.Programming mechanisms similar to this may help a greater number ofpatients receive the full benefits from stimulation therapy by avoidingsome of the less than ideal therapies resulting from manual electrodeprogramming and the lengthy times associated with manual programming.

In some embodiments, user interface 1072 may allow the clinician tolocate the correct placement of the lead icon representation of lead 14within 3D brain model 1088 and continue defining a stimulation field in2D orthogonal views such as the ones described in user interface 90.Since the central axis of the lead icon may not lie completely within,e.g., be parallel to, the plane of a preset coronal view 92, sagittalview 102, or axial view 102, 3D brain model 1088 may allow the clinicianto easily identify an oblique plane (oblique view) that is substantiallyparallel with the central axis of the lead icon. The clinician may thenlock this oblique view and use the oblique view and other orthogonalplanes of the oblique view to define a stimulation field, similar touser interface 90. In addition, user interface 1072 may automaticallyidentify an oblique plane that includes the lead icon and allow theclinician to rotate the oblique plane around the lead icon until theclinician creates the desired oblique view. The clinician may then usethis oblique view to continue programming using 2D views.

FIG. 66 is a flow diagram illustrating an example technique for defininga 3D stimulation field within a 3D brain model of the patient. FIG. 66is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary technique for defining a 3Dstimulation field within a 3D brain model of the patient. As shown inFIG. 66, the clinician implants lead 14 according to the technique shownin FIG. 11 (1094). The clinician then images the head of patient 12 togenerate the needed data of brain 18 (1096). The clinician uploads theimage data to programmer 19 (1098) and the programmer generates the 3Denvironment (1100). Programmer 19 generates brain model 1076 and theinitial stimulation field 1078 (1102).

Programmer 19 receives stimulation field input from a clinician via userinterface 1072 to adjust and manipulate stimulation field 1078 (1104).Programmer 19 generates stimulation parameters according to stimulationfield 1078 (1106) and IMD 20 delivers test stimulation with theparameters (1110). If the clinician desires to adjust stimulation(1108), programmer 19 again receives stimulation field input (1104). Ifthe stimulation therapy is effective, the clinician saves thestimulation parameters in IMD 20 so that patient 12 can receive therapywith the parameters (1112).

FIGS. 67-70 illustrate a 3D environment for defining a 3D stimulationfield with stimulation templates. FIG. 67 is a conceptual diagramillustrating a 3D visualization environment that facilitates programmingwith a stimulation template set. As shown in FIG. 67, user interface1114 presents 3D environment 1116 to the clinician which allows theclinician to define 3D stimulation field 1122 within 3D brain model1120. User interface 1114 may be provided by a programmer substantiallysimilar to programmer 19, or another computing device. User interface1114 may be similar to user interface 1072 of FIG. 63. However, userinterface 1114 is directed to creating a stimulation template set from3D stimulation field 1122. 3D brain model 1120 is an anatomical regionof the patient anatomy and is represented with shading, colors, or someother mechanism of representing the brain 18 in three dimensions to theclinician. The clinician uses hand 1118 to grasp 3D stimulation field1122 and change the stimulation field shape and size. In someembodiments, user interface 1114 may allow the clinician to split 3Dstimulation field 1122 into more than one continuous region. In otherembodiments, user interface 1114 may provide a lead icon that representslead 14 implanted within patient 12.

FIG. 68 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a three-dimensional (3D)visualization environment including a 3D brain model and the templateset created based on the defined 3D stimulation field. As shown in FIG.68, user interface 1114 displays 3D brain model 1126 in 3D environment1116, similar to FIG. 67. Within 3D brain model 1126 is 3D stimulationfield 1128 and corresponding stimulation template set 1130. Hand 1124may still be used to alter the shape, size, and location of 3Dstimulation field 1128. User interface 1114 may change stimulationtemplate set 1130 to match and 3D stimulation field 1128 changes, e.g.,by adding, removing or replacing stimulation templates from the templatesets. The clinician may also use hand 1124 to rotate, zoom in, zoom out,and view 3D brain model 1126 from different angles and perspectives toidentify the actual structures of brain 18 that stimulation template set1130 would affect during therapy.

Stimulation template set 1130 may be created from one or morestimulation templates that relate to each electrode of lead 14.Stimulation template set 1130 may be created in a similar manner asdescribed in FIGS. 28-32. The volumetric stimulation templates that area best fit to stimulation field 1128 may be combined to create thevolumetric stimulation template set 1130. 3D environment 1116 allows theclinician to view the entire stimulation template set 1130 and tissuestructures simultaneously to review the suggested stimulation therapyfor patient 12.

FIG. 69 is substantially similar to FIG. 68. User interface 1114displays 3D brain model 1134 in 3D environment 1116. Within 3D brainmodel 1134 is 3D stimulation field 1136 and corresponding stimulationtemplate set 1138. Hand 1132 may still be used to alter the shape, size,and location of 3D stimulation field 1128. In addition, lead icon 1140is provided within 3D brain model 1134 to allow the clinician to viewthe proposed stimulation template set 1138 in relation to electrodes oflead 14 implanted within patient 12. As shown in FIG. 69, stimulationtemplate set 1138 surrounds lead icon 1140 in a cylindrical typeformation. However, any other stimulation template set supported bysystem 10 may be used to attempt to match 3D stimulation field 1136.

FIG. 70 is a flow diagram illustrating an example technique for creatinga template set and displaying the template set in a 3D brain model ofthe patient. As shown in FIG. 70, user interface 1114 displays 3D brainmodel 1126 in 3D environment 1116 (1142). User interface 1114 nextreceives stimulation field input from the clinician (1144). Processor 80calculates the error between the stimulation field and the availablestimulation templates, e.g., based on a comparison of their volumes(1146). From the error calculations, processor 80 selects thestimulation template set with the smallest error between the templatesand the stimulation field (1148). Typically, the template set mustremain within the defined stimulation area to prevent stimulation ofnon-target tissue. However, some embodiments, may allow stimulationtemplate sets that best fit the stimulation area even when a portion ofthe stimulation template set stimulates tissue outside of thestimulation field.

If the best fit stimulation template set error is greater than apredetermined threshold (1150), user interface 1114 will provide thestimulation template set to the clinician with an error messageindicating that the template set exceeds the error threshold (1152). Ifthe best fit stimulation template set error is less than thepredetermined threshold (1150), user interface 1114 provides thestimulation template set to the clinician (1154). If the clinician doesnot accept the created stimulation template set (1156), user interface1114 will again receive stimulation field input (1144). If the clinicianwants to accept the stimulation template set for therapy (1156),programmer 19 stores the stimulation parameters from the stimulationtemplate set (1158). Programmer 19 then delivers the stimulationparameter sets to IMD 20 which delivers the stimulation therapy topatient 12 (1160).

FIGS. 71-73 illustrate example electrical field models that show a userwhich structures of brain 18 will be covered by the electrical fieldresulting from delivery of stimulation. FIG. 71 is a conceptual diagramillustrating a three-dimensional (3D) visualization environmentincluding a 3D brain model and 3D electrical field model. As shown inFIG. 71, user interface 1162 displays 3D brain model 1168 via 3Denvironment 1164. 3D environment 1164 is provided to a user through anembodiment of programmer 19. Once the user, or clinician, defines thestimulation field, the appropriate stimulation parameters are generatedfor therapy. Electrical field model 1172 is generated by a processor,such as processor 80, and is displayed within 3D brain model 1168.Electrical field model 1172 may be the 3D approximation of electricalfields described in FIGS. 53-57. Lead icon 1170 represents the locationof lead 14 in brain 18 and is shown within electrical field model 1172.The clinician may user hand 1166 to rotate, zoom in, and zoom out of 3Dbrain model 1168 to review the proposed stimulation therapy. In someembodiments, the clinician may use hand 1166 to modify electrical fieldmodel 1172 size, shape, or location. In this manner, the correspondingstimulation parameters will change accordingly.

FIG. 72 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a three-dimensional (3D)visualization environment including a 3D brain model and enlarged 3Delectrical field model as defined by the user. FIG. 72 is similar toFIG. 71. User interface 1162 displays 3D brain model 1178 and lead icon1180 via 3D environment 1164. Electrical field model 1182 has beenincreased in size over electrical field model 1172 of FIG. 71. Theclinician has used hand 1174 to pull electrical field model 1182 in thedirection of arrow 1176 to cause this increase in the electrical fieldmodel size. Additionally, hand 1174 may cause electrical stimulationfield 1182 to change location or alter its shape as directed by theclinician.

Changes to electrical field model 1182 are essentially caused by hand1174 forcing changes to the stimulation parameters that define theelectrical field model. As electrical field model 1182 increases insize, the shape of the electrical field model changes to reflect theelectrical current propagation within the tissue of brain 18(represented by 3D brain model 1178). Electrical stimulation field 1182may have limits to the size or location of the field based upon thelimitations of system 10.

FIG. 73 is a flow diagram illustrating an example technique forcalculating an electrical field model and displaying the field model tothe user. The technique is described with reference to programmer 19,which may provide any of the user interfaces described above withreference to FIGS. 71 and 72. As shown in FIG. 73, programmer 19receives patient anatomy data via user interface 1162 necessary forcreating an electrical field (1184). Programmer 19 enters the patientanatomy data in stored electrical field model equations or equation setsto satisfy anatomical variable (1186). Programmer 19 next calculates theelectrical field model from the data and equations (1188). Onceprogrammer 19 receives stimulation input from the clinician via userinterface 1162 defining the stimulation field (1190), the programmergenerates the 3D electrical field model according to the stimulationparameters (1192). The 3D electrical field model may be displayed to theclinician via user interface 1162 (1194). If the clinician desires tochange the stimulation input (1196), programmer 19 receives a change inthe stimulation input via user interface 1162 (1190). If the cliniciandoes not request a stimulation input change (1196), programmer 19continues to display the 3D electrical field model to the clinician viauser interface 1162 (1194). Programmer 19 may also provide a mechanismto exit the viewing of 3D environment 1164.

FIGS. 74-76 illustrate example three-dimensional (3D) activation fieldmodels that show a user which neurons of brain 18 tissue will beactivated by the produced electrical field during therapy. FIG. 74 is aconceptual diagram illustrating a 3D environment including a 3D brainmodel and 3D activation field model. As shown in FIG. 74, user interface1198 displays 3D brain model 1204 via 3D environment 1200. 3Denvironment 1200 is provided to a user through an embodiment ofprogrammer 19 or other computing device. Once the user, or clinician,defines the stimulation field, the appropriate stimulation parametersare generated for therapy. An electrical field model, such as describedin FIGS. 71-73, is applied to a neuron model of brain tissue to generateactivation fields 1208, 1210 and 1212 (collectively the activation fieldmodel) displayed within 3D brain model 1204. Activation fields 1208,1210 and 1212 are 3D versions of the activation fields described inFIGS. 58-62. Lead icon 1206 represents the location of lead 14 in brain18 and is shown within activation fields 1208, 1210 and 1212. Theclinician may use hand 1202 to rotate, zoom in, and zoom out of 3D brainmodel 1204 to review the proposed stimulation therapy. In someembodiments, the clinician may use hand 1202 to modify the activationfield model size, shape, or location. In this manner, activation fields1208, 1210 and 1212 may will change accordingly. While the activationfield model is separated into three separate activation fields 1208,1210 and 1212, the activation field may include one continuousactivation field around lead icon 1206 or many smaller separatedactivation fields caused by pockets of neurons in brain 18 that are notactivated by the generated electrical field of the stimulation therapy.

FIG. 75 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a three-dimensional (3D)visualization environment including a 3D brain model and enlarged 3Dactivation field model as defined by the user. FIG. 75 is similar toFIG. 74. User interface 1198 displays 3D brain model 1218 and lead icon1220 via 3D environment 1200. Activation fields 1222, 1224 and 1226 havebeen increased in size over activation fields 1208, 1210 and 1212 ofFIG. 74. The clinician has used hand 1214 to pull the activation fields1222, 1224 and 1226 in the direction of arrow 1216 to cause thisincrease in the number of activated neurons. Additionally, hand 1214 maybe used to move activation fields 1222, 1224 and 1226 or alter theirshape as directed by the clinician.

Changes to activation fields 1222, 1224 and 1226 are essentially causedby hand 1214 forcing changes to the stimulation parameters that definethe electrical field model, and thus the activation field model. As theactivation field model increases in size, the shape of activation fields1222, 1224 and 1226 change to reflect the actual neurons of brain 18that would be activated by the electrical field produced by lead 14(represented by 3D brain model 1220). The activation field model mayhave limits to the size or location of the field based upon thelimitations of system 10.

FIG. 76 is a flow diagram illustrating an example technique forcalculating an activation field model and displaying the field model tothe user. The technique is described with reference to programmer 19,which may provide any of the user interfaces described above withreference to FIGS. 74 and 75. As shown in FIG. 76, programmer 19receives patient anatomy data indicative of the anatomy of patient 12via user interface 1198 (1228) and the programmer calculates theelectrical field model from the patient anatomy data (1230). Programmer19 then retrieves the neuron model and fits the neuron model to theelectrical field (1232). Programmer 19 next calculates the activationfield model based upon the electrical field model and neuron model(1234). Programmer then is able to receive stimulation input from theclinician via user interface 1198 defining what structures of theanatomical region should be stimulated (1236). Programmer 19subsequently generates the 3D activation field model (1238) and userinterface 1198 displays the activation field model to the clinician(1240). If the clinician desires to change the stimulation input (1242),user interface 1198 receives stimulation input from the clinicianmodifying the previous stimulation input (1236). If the stimulationinput does not need to be changed (1242), the activation field modelcontinues to be displayed by user interface 1198 (1240). The clinicianmay also be able to leave viewing the activation field model to deliverthe stimulation therapy or change aspects of the stimulation parameters.

Although the disclosure may be especially applicable to the simulationof the deep brain, the invention alternatively may be applied moregenerally to any type of stimulation wherein the parameters ofstimulation programs may be automatically generated based upon a definedstimulation field. As examples, cortical brain stimulation, spinal cordstimulation, sacral or pudendal nerve stimulation, or dorsal rootstimulation may benefit from the user interface described herein.

Although this disclosure has referred to neurostimulation applicationsgenerally, and DBS and SCS applications more particularly, suchapplications have been described for purposes of illustration and shouldnot be considered limiting of the invention as broadly embodied anddescribed herein. The invention may be more generally applicable toelectrical stimulation of tissue, such as nerve tissue or muscle tissue,and may be applicable to a variety of therapy applications includingspinal cord stimulation, pelvic floor stimulation, deep brainstimulation, cortical surface stimulation, neuronal ganglionstimulation, gastric stimulation, peripheral nerve stimulation, orsubcutaneous stimulation. Such therapy applications may be targeted to avariety of disorders such as chronic pain, peripheral vascular disease,angina, headache, tremor, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, urinary orfecal incontinence, sexual dysfunction, obesity, or gastroparesis. Also,the invention is not necessarily limited to use with completelyimplanted neurostimulators, and may also be applicable to externalstimulators coupled to implanted leads via a percutaneous port.

In addition, although electrode array geometries having four or eightaxial electrode levels and four angular electrode positions have beendescribed, the disclosure may be applicable to a wide variety ofelectrode array geometries including virtually any number of axial andangular electrode positions. Again, a complex electrode array geometrygenerally refers to an arrangement of stimulation electrodes at multiplenon-planar or non-coaxial positions, in contrast to simple electrodearray geometries in which the electrodes share a common plane or acommon axis. An example of a simple electrode array geometry is an arrayof ring electrodes distributed at different axial positions along thelength of a lead. Another example of a simple electrode array geometryis a planar array of electrodes on a paddle lead.

An example of a complex electrode array geometry, in accordance withthis disclosure, is an array of electrodes positioned at different axialpositions along the length of a lead, as well as at different angularpositions about the circumference of the lead. In some embodiments, theelectrodes in the complex array geometry may appear similar tonon-contiguous, arc-like segments of a conventional ring electrode. Alead with a complex electrode array geometry may include multiple ringsof electrode segments. Each axially positioned ring is disposed at adifferent axial position. Each electrode segment within a given ring isdisposed at a different angular position. The lead may be cylindrical orhave a circular cross-section of varying diameter. Another example of acomplex electrode array geometry is an array of electrodes positioned onmultiple planes or faces of a lead. As an illustration, arrays ofelectrodes may be positioned on opposite planes of a paddle lead ormultiple faces of a lead having a polygonal cross-section. Also,electrodes positioned at particular axial or angular positions need notbe aligned with other electrodes. Rather, in some embodiments,electrodes may be arranged in a staggered or checkerboard-like pattern.

Further, although a single lead may be useful in various stimulationapplications, multiple leads may be useful in other applications such asbi-lateral DBS, SCS, or multi-site stimulation for gastric, pelvic orperipheral nerve stimulation. Accordingly, electrode combinations may beformed between electrodes carried by a single lead, electrodecombinations formed between electrodes carried by one lead of a pair ofleads, or electrode combinations formed between electrodes on differentleads, as well as electrodes carried by a stimulator housing, e.g., in aso-called active can configuration.

The techniques described herein may be techniques may be applied to aprogramming interface or control interface associated with a clinicianprogrammer, a patient programmer, or both. Hence, a clinician may use aclinician programmer in clinic to program and evaluate differentelectrode combinations and stimulation parameter values. A patient mayuse a patient programmer during daily use to adjust parameter values,select different electrode combinations, subject to keepout zones andranges specified by the clinicians. The clinician programmer or patientprogrammer may be a small, portable, handheld device, similar to apersonal digital assistant (PDA). Alternatively, in the case of aclinician programmer, the programmer may be implemented in a generalpurpose desktop or laptop computer, computer workstation, or dedicateddesktop programming unit.

In addition, the programming functionality described in this disclosuremay be used to program an implantable stimulator coupled to one or moreimplantable leads or an external stimulator coupled to one morepercutaneous leads. For example, the invention may be used for trialstimulation or chronic stimulation.

The disclosure also contemplates computer-readable media comprisinginstructions to cause a processor to perform any of the functionsdescribed herein. The computer-readable media may take the form of anyvolatile, non-volatile, magnetic, optical, or electrical media, such asa random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), non-volatile RAM(NVRAM), electrically-erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory,or any other digital media. Programmer 19 also may contain a moreportable removable memory type to enable easy data transfer or offlinedata analysis.

Various embodiments of the described invention may be implemented usingone or more processors that are realized by one or more microprocessors,Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASIC), Field-Programmable GateArrays (FPGA), or other equivalent integrated or discrete logiccircuitry, alone or in any combination.

Many embodiments of the disclosure have been described. Variousmodifications may be made without departing from the scope of theclaims. These and other embodiments are within the scope of thefollowing claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: representing athree-dimensional (3D) anatomical region of a patient in a 3Denvironment; representing a 3D stimulation field within the 3Danatomical region; receiving stimulation field input from a userdefining the 3D stimulation field in the 3D environment; and generatingelectrical stimulation parameters in a programming device based upon the3D stimulation field and a location of at least one electrode withinpatient.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the electrical stimulationparameters define an electrode combination from a complex electrodearray geometry.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:representing an electrical stimulation lead as a lead icon in the 3Denvironment; and positioning the lead icon relative to the 3D anatomicalregion of the patient in the 3D environment based on a physical locationof the electrical stimulation lead in the patient.
 4. The method ofclaim 3, wherein positioning the lead icon comprises receivingdirectional user input specifying placement of the lead icon relative tothe 3D anatomical region of the patient.
 5. The method of claim 3,wherein positioning the lead icon comprises: receiving informationregarding the physical location of the electrical stimulation lead inthe patient; and automatically positioning the lead icon relative to the3D anatomical region of the patient in the 3D environment based on theinformation.
 6. The method of claim 3, further comprising: identifyingan oblique plane of the 3D anatomical region that includes a centralaxis of the lead icon; and receiving stimulation field input from theuser defining a two-dimensional (2D) stimulation field on the obliqueplane.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising imaging ananatomical structure of the patient to generate the 3D anatomical regionof the patient in the 3D environment.
 8. The method of claim 1, whereinreceiving stimulation field input comprises receiving input that definesat least one of a size, shape, or location of the stimulation field. 9.The method of claim 8, wherein receiving input that defines at least oneof a size, shape, or location of the stimulation field comprisesreceiving input that drags a boundary of the stimulation field.
 10. Themethod of claim 1, wherein receiving stimulation field input comprisesreceiving input that drags the stimulation field to a location withinthe 3D anatomical region.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein receivingstimulation field input comprises receiving input highlighting a portionof the 3D anatomical region.
 12. The method of claim 1, whereinreceiving stimulation field input comprises receiving input that selectsa predefined stimulation field and places the stimulation field at alocation within the 3D anatomical region.
 13. The method of claim 1,wherein generating electrical stimulation parameters comprises:selecting at least one predefined volumetric stimulation field templatethat substantially fills the 3D stimulation field; and selectingelectrical parameters corresponding to the predefined volumetricstimulation field.
 14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:determining an error value based on a volume of extraneous tissue thatwould be stimulated by delivery of stimulation according to thegenerated electrical stimulation parameters; comparing the error valueto a threshold value; and prompting a user based on the comparison. 15.The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining an error valuebased on a volume of tissue within the stimulation field that would notbe stimulated by delivery of stimulation according to the generatedelectrical stimulation parameters; comparing the error value to athreshold value; and prompting a user based on the comparison.
 16. Themethod of claim 1, wherein representing a 3D anatomical region of thepatient comprises representing at least one of a cerebrum, a cerebellum,and a brain stem.
 17. The method of claim 1, wherein representing a 3Danatomical region of the patient comprises representing at least one ofa substantia nigra, subthalamic nucleus, globus pallidus interna,ventral intermediate, and zona inserta.
 18. A system comprising: a userinterface that provides a three-dimensional (3D) environment; and aprocessor that represents a 3D stimulation field within a 3D anatomicalregion of a patient within the 3D environment, receives stimulationfield input from a user via the user interface defining the 3Dstimulation field within the 3D environment, and generates electricalstimulation parameters based upon the 3D stimulation field and alocation of at least one electrode within patient.
 19. The system ofclaim 18, wherein the electrical stimulation parameters define anelectrode combination from a complex electrode array geometry.
 20. Acomputer-readable medium comprising instructions that cause a processorto: represent a three-dimensional (3D) anatomical region of a patient ina 3D environment; represent a 3D stimulation field within the 3Danatomical region; receive stimulation field input from a user definingthe 3D stimulation field in the 3D environment; and generate electricalstimulation parameters in a programming device based upon the 3Dstimulation field and a location of at least one electrode withinpatient.